CULTURE MEDIA AND SPORT

Golden Jubilee Medal

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what recent representations she has received concerning eligibility for the Queen's Golden Jubilee Medal; what criteria will be used for allocating them; to which categories they will be awarded; and if she will make a statement.

Tessa Jowell: The medal is being issued to serving members of the Armed Forces and Royal Fleet Auxiliary and to the "999" emergency services. Eligibility is restricted to those who completed a minimum of five years' reckonable service on 6 February 2002—the 50th anniversary of the Queen's Accession. The detailed criteria for distribution are being worked out. I have recently received a number of representations from hon. and right hon. Members on behalf of the Prison Officers' Association who believe that their members should also receive the medal. Members of the Prison Service are not eligible because they are not a "999" emergency service.

Statutory Instruments

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will list the statutory instruments issued by her Department in the last 12 months, indicating (a) the purpose of each and (b) the cost of each to (i) public funds, (ii) businesses and (iii) individuals.

Richard Caborn: The Statutory Instruments issued by my Department during 2001 and their respective purposes over the last 12 months are detailed in the table. Also included are Instruments which have been originated in this Department but eventually made by the Privy Council. The information sought under (b)(i), (ii) and (iii) is not held centrally and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.
	
		
			 Serial Number Formal Title Purpose of Order 
		
		
			 S.I./2001/223 The Broadcasting (Limit on the Holding of Licences to Provide Television Multiplex Services) Order 2001 Order changed the limit on the number of licences to provide television multiplex services that a person could hold so as to remove the existing restrictions. The purpose was to remove an unnecessary impediment to developments in the digital terrestrial television industry. 
			 S.I./2001/411 The European Convention on Cinematographic Co-Production (Amendment) Order 2001* Order added more European countries to the list of countries from which film producers would be eligible to co-produce cinema films with British film producers under the Council of Europe's European Convention on Cinematographic Co-production in order to obtain the fiscal benefits available in the UK for British films. 
			 S.I./2001/772 The Wireless Telegraphy (Television Licences Fees) (Amendment) Regulations 2001 Regulations brought into effect certain increases in television licence fees and made amendments to the various easy payment schemes, and also made amendments relating to free television licences for people aged 75 or over. 
			 S.I.2001/1404 The New Opportunities Fund (Specification of Initiatives) Order 2001 Order specified new initiatives for the New Opportunities Fund, a Lottery distributor, to support in areas concerned or connected with health, education and the environment. 
			 S.I./2001/2378 The Broadcasting (Subtitling) Order 2001 Order amended Section 20(3)(a) of the Broadcasting Act 1996 to increase from 50 to 80 the specified percentage in relation to subtitling for the deaf on digital programme services. This means that the relevant code published by the Independent Television Commission must require that, as of the tenth anniversary of the date of commencement of the provision of any digital programme service, at least 80 per cent. of that service's non-excluded programmes in each week must be accompanied by such subtitling. 
			 S.I./2001/2372 The Safety of Sports Grounds (Designation) Order 2001 Under the Safety of Sports Grounds Act 1975 the Secretary of State may designate sports grounds with accommodation for more than 10,000 spectators, and football grounds occupied by Football League or FA Premier League clubs with accommodation for more than 5,000 spectators, as requiring a safety certificate from a local authority. Safety certificates contain such terms and conditions as local authorities consider necessary or expedient to secure reasonable safety at the ground. This Order designates the new City of Manchester Stadium, three football grounds occupied by new members of the Football League and one ground newly occupied by a Premier League club for these purposes. 
			 S.I./2001/2373 The Football Spectators (Seating) Order 2001 Under the Football Spectators Act 1989, the Football Licensing Authority grants licences to allow spectators to be admitted to premises at which designated football matches are held, which include football matches played at the home ground of Football League and FA Premier League clubs. The Secretary of State may direct the FLA to include seating requirements in any licence. The Secretary of State's policy is that all football clubs in the top two divisions are required to have all-seater grounds. This Order therefore requires the FLA to include a condition in the licences in respect of the Southampton FC and Stockport County FC football grounds requiring that only seated accommodation shall be provided at designated matches at these grounds. This follows a grace period of three years since these clubs were promoted to the top two divisions for them to implement the all-seater policy. 
			 S.I./2001/2403 The Protection of Wrecks (Designation) Order 2001 Order designates as a restricted area the site where part of the wreck of HMS Colossus lies, under section 1(1) of the Protection of Wrecks Act 1973. Designation protects wreck sites of historic, archaeological or artistic importance by making it a criminal offence, in particular, for a person to tamper with, damage or remove part of the wreck or any objects formerly contained in the wreck or carrying out diving or salvage operations on the wreck unless a licence is obtained to do so from the Secretary of State. 
			 S.I./2001/2506 The National Lottery (Licence Fees) Order 2001 Licence fees must be paid on the granting of the main National Lottery operating licence (known as the section 5 licence) and also licences for individual Lottery games (known as section 6 licences). For the first seven year licence period, the fees were £70,000 for the section 5 licence, and £20,000 for section 6 licences and covered the costs specifically incurred by the National Lottery Commission in granting the licences. Camelot was awarded an interim licence between 1 October 2001 and 26 January 2002 and the Order therefore reduced the licence fees for that period to £11,000 and £1,000 respectively to reflect the actual costs incurred. 
			 S.I./2001/3931 The European Convention on Cinematographic Co-Production (Amendment) (No.2) Order 2001* Order added more European countries to the list of countries from which film producers would be eligible to co-produce cinema films with British film producers under the Council of Europe's European Convention on Cinematographic Co-production in order to obtain the fiscal benefits available in the UK for British films. 
			 S.I./2001/3937 The Regulatory Reform (Special Occasions Licensing) Order 2001 Order relaxed alcohol licensing hours throughout the night on New Year's Eve 2001. It removed the need for businesses to apply for permission from the magistrates to extend the permitted licensing hours, which would have ended at 11pm on that night. 
			 S.I./2001/3970 The Gaming Machines (Maximum Prizes) Regulations 2001 Order increased the maximum prize from a gaming machine in a casino from £1,000 to £2,000. 
			 S.I./2001/3971 The Gaming Act (Variations of Monetary Limits) Order 2001 Order increased the maximum prize from an 'all-cash amusements-with-prizes' gaming machine from £15 to £25. 
			 S.I./2001/3972 The Return of Cultural Objects (Amendment) Regulations 2001 Regulations implemented into UK law Directive 2001/38/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council, which made some technical amendments to the threshold values set out in the Annex to Council Directive 93/7/EEC on the return of cultural objects unlawfully removed from the territory of a Member State. 
			 S.I./2001/3984 The Public Lending Right Scheme 1982 (Commencement of Variations) Order 2001 Order amended the Public Lending Right(PLR) Scheme to increase the rate per loan paid to registered authors when their books are borrowed from public libraries from 2.49p to 2.67p. 
			 S.I./2001/4034 The Amusements with Prizes (Variation of Monetary Limits) Order 2001 Order increased the maximum ticket sales and money prizes in games of prize bingo in an arcade (respectively, from £60 to £90 and from £15 to £25). 
			 S.I./2001/4035 The Gaming Act (Variations of Monetary Limits) (No.2) Order 2001 Order increased the maximum cash prize in a prize bingo game played in a licensed bingo club from £15 to £25. 
		
	
	* DCMS Orders in Council

Golden Jubilee

James Plaskitt: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will make available to hon. Members, peers and the Library the Golden Jubilee Celebrations Toolkit sent to all councils and a wide range of organisations in England, Scotland and Wales in November 2001.

Tessa Jowell: Yes. I have arranged for all Members of both Houses to receive a copy of the Golden Jubilee Celebrations Toolkit together with an information leaflet and map giving the date and location of The Queen's United Kingdom Jubilee visits taking place from 29 April to 7 August 2002.
	Copies of the Celebrations Toolkit are already in the Libraries of Both Houses and I have also arranged for copies of the information leaflet and map to be placed there.
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Press and Public Relations

Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many people were employed in a press or public relations function in her Department on 1 January in (a) 1997, (b) 1998, (c) 1999, (d) 2000, (e) 2001 and (f) 2002.

Kim Howells: pursuant to his reply, 5 March 2002, column 264
	Due to a typographical error the table contained in my original answer was incorrect. The following table gives the correct information.
	The number of press officers and publicity officers in my Department at 1 January in each of the last six years was as follows:
	
		
			 Date Press Officers Publicity Officers 
		
		
			 1997 8 4 
			 1998 19 14 
			 1999 8 4 
			 2000 9 25 
			 2001 8 24 
			 2002 8 25 
		
	
	1 Includes two officers working part-time.
	2 Includes one officer working part-time.

DEFENCE

PRISM System

Patrick Mercer: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the progress of the development of the prototype remote illness and symptom monitor (PRISM).

Lewis Moonie: The prototype remote illness and symptom monitor (PRISM) is a system designed to be a simple and practical tool for collecting medical signs and symptoms relating to individuals by identifying unusual health trends. The concept has been developed into a handheld device consisting of a computer and Global Positioning System. Bespoke Software records time and location data, and analyses the output of the handheld devices to record unusual levels of signs and symptoms. Prototype devices have been built and tested in laboratory and field-based trials. Most recently, PRISM has been successfully tested during exercise Saif Sareea in Oman. PRISM has therefore been a successful research programme resulting in the demonstration of a concept. We are currently considering the extent to which further research and development work is desirable.

QinetiQ

Roger Gale: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much his Department has spent on consultants and other fees relating to the privatisation of QinetiQ.

Lewis Moonie: Since the DERA PPP was announced in July 1998 as part of the Strategic Defence Review, the Ministry of Defence has spent some £7.2 million on advice from consultants and other fees. This figure covers the cost of advice and fees relating to all stages of the DERA PPP including the detailed options study in 1998–99, vesting of QinetiQ as a company in July 2001 and recent work preparing the company for a transaction. These costs have been subject to scrutiny to ensure that they offer value for money.

Job Sharing

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the extent of job sharing in his Department.

Lewis Moonie: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 25 February 2002, Official Report, column 688W, to the hon. Member for Twickenham, (Dr. Cable).

Defence Fire Service (Golden Jubilee Medal)

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence of he will make it his policy that the Queen's Golden Jubilee Medal should be awarded to serving members of the Ministry of Defence Fire Service.

Lewis Moonie: The criteria for eligibility of members of the emergency services working within Government departments to receive the medal are still being drawn up by the Cabinet Office, but I expect members of the Defence Fire Service to be among those who are eligible.

Parliamentary Questions

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he intends to answer the question of 13 February from the hon. Member for Buckingham regarding staff involvement in union duties.

Lewis Moonie: I replied to the hon. Member on 6 March 2002, Official Report, column 316W.

Skynet 5 Project

Christopher Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  on what criteria Paradigm was selected as the preferred bidder for the Skynet 5 project;
	(2)  pursuant to the answer of 26 February 2002 to the hon. Member for Bedford (Mr. Hall) Official Report, column 1135W, on the Skynet 5 programme, if he will give the location by parliamentary constituency of the jobs that will be (a) created and (b) sustained.

Lewis Moonie: The decision to select the preferred bidder for the Skynet 5 programme was taken on value for money grounds.
	On current plans we expect the majority of the jobs created or sustained by Skynet 5 to be located in the parliamentary constituencies of Stevenage, Portsmouth North, North Wiltshire, Macclesfield and Newport (South Wales).

LORD CHANCELLOR

Job Advertisements

John Bercow: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department if he will list the job advertisements placed by his Department in the last 12 months specifying where the advertisements were placed and the cost in each case.

Rosie Winterton: In the last 12 months my Department has advertised over 400 posts externally to recruit staff. The total cost is over £400,000. The details requested have been placed in the libraries of both Houses.
	Candidates for judicial offices are invited to apply through advertisements placed in the national press and legal journals. But judicial appointments do not constitute employment by the Lord Chancellor's Department and are therefore not included in the table.

Press Releases

Andrew Turner: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department how many press releases were issued by the Lord Chancellor's Department in the periods (a) between 1 May and 31 December 1997 and (b) in each year from 1998 to 2001 inclusive.

Michael Wills: The number of press releases that were issued by the Lord Chancellor's Department on behalf of LCDHQ, the Court Service, the Official Solicitor and members of the judiciary are:
	
		
			   Number  
		
		
			 (a) 1 May–31 December 1997 219 
			 (b) 1998 386 
			  1999 387 
			  2000 452 
			  2002 463 
			 Public Record Office (excluding releases of official documents): 
			 (a) 1 May–31 December 1997 3 
			 (b) 1998 5 
			  2000 5 
			  2000 11 
			  2001 17 
			 Land Registry:  
			 (a) 1 May–December 1997 13 
			 (b) 1998 26 
			  2002 28 
			  2003 28 
			  2004 36 
			 Northern Ireland Court Service:  
			 (a) 1 May–31 December 1997 11 
			 (b) 1998 21 
			  2002 25 
			  2003 14 
			  2004 27 
			 Public Guardianship Office: 
			  With effect from 1 April 2001 1

Press and Public Relations

Andrew Turner: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department how many people were employed in a press or public relations function in the Lord Chancellor's Department on 1 January in (a) 1997, (b) 1998, (c) 1999, (d) 2000, (e) 2001 and (f) 2002.

Michael Wills: The number of people who were employed in press or publicity work (excluding internal communications, web site developers and administrative support) was as follows:
	
		
			  Number  
		
		
			 (a) 1997  
			 LCD Headquarters 5 
			 Public Record Office 2 
			 Land Registry 1 
			 Law Commission 1 
			 Northern Ireland Court Service 2 
			 (b) 1998 
			 LCD Headquarters 5 
			 Public Record Office 2 
			 Land Registry 2 
			 Law Commission 1 
			 Northern Ireland Court Service 2 
			 (c) 1999  
			 LCD Headquarters 5 
			 Public Record Office 2 
			 Land Registry 2 
			 Law Commission 1 
			 Northern Ireland Court Service 2 
			 (d) 2000 
			 LCD Headquarters 9 
			 Public Record Office 3 
			 Land Registry 2 
			 Law Commission 1 
			 Northern Ireland Court Service 2 
			 (e) 2001 
			 LCD Headquarters 9 
			 Public Record Office 3 
			 Land Registry 2 
			 Law Commission 1 
			 Northern Ireland Court Service 2 
			 (f) 2002 
			 LCD Headquarters 12 
			 Public Record Office 4 
			 Land Registry 2 
			 Law Commission 1 
			 Northern Ireland Court Service: 2 
			 Public Guardianship Office 3 
		
	
	The Public Guardianship Office came into effect on 1 April 2001. Press and publicity work for the Court Service is handled by LCDHQ.
	The increase in press and publicity staff in 2000 reflects new work connected with the Community Legal Service and the Court Service. The increase in 2002 reflects new responsibilities transferred to LCDHQ from the Home Office.

TRANSPORT, LOCAL GOVERNMENT AND THE REGIONS

Hospitality

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions if he will list the occasions on which he has received hospitality in his ministerial capacity from (a) Balfour Beatty plc, (b) Bombardier Transportation (formerly Adtranz), (c) WS Atkins plc, (d) Amey/Amec, (e) Bechtel-Halcrow, (f) Jarvis, (g) SEEBOARD Group plc, (h) Thames Water plc and (i) AEA Technology.

Stephen Byers: None.

Air Traffic Control

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what financial arrangements are in place for NATs to collect income generated from aircraft overflying the UK (a) from flights originating with the European Union, (b) from North America and (c) from the rest of the world to be collected from the CAA or the Government; whether all the income accrues to NATs; and if these arrangements can be changed by the UK unilaterally.

David Jamieson: The UK is a member of the European Organisation for the Safety of Air Navigation ("Eurocontrol"). The Central Route Charges Office of Eurocontrol provides a centralised system for billing and collecting air traffic control charges. All aircraft flying in UK airspace, whatever their place of origin, pay their charges to the Central Route Charges Office, which reimburses direct to NATs En route Ltd the moneys owing to it.
	The Central Route Charges Office also collects moneys on behalf of my Department and the Civil Aviation Authority.

Air Traffic Control

Matthew Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what the total costs were of the New En Route Centre at Swanwick, Hampshire, up until the operational start date of the centre in January; and if he will make a statement.

David Jamieson: I refer the hon. Member to my answer of Tuesday 5 March 2002, Official Report, column 177W, given to the hon. Member for Cotswold (Mr Clifton-Brown).

Vacant Dwellings (Tyne and Wear)

Jim Cousins: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions how many vacant residential dwellings there were in each year since 1997 in each local authority in Tyne and Wear, distinguishing between (a) local authority, (b) RSL, (c) public and (d) private sectors; and how many such vacancies were of more than six months duration.

Sally Keeble: The number of residential dwellings reported as being vacant in each year since 1997 in the five local authorities in Tyne and Wear by tenure is as follows:
	
		Vacant Residential Dwellings on 1 April
		
			  1997 1998 1999 2000 2001  
			  Total of which vacant for more than 6 months Total of which vacant for more than 6 months Total of which vacant for more than 6 months Total of which vacant for more than 6 months Total of which vacant for more than 6 months 
		
		
			 Gateshead 
			 Local Authority 600 198 363 72 447 48 601 100 463 76 
			 RSL 83 n/a 112 n/a 111 n/a 151 n/a 117 n/a 
			 Other public service 5 n/a 7 n/a 9 n/a 5 n/a 7 n/a 
			 Other private sector 2,626 n/a 2,827 n/a 2,041 n/a 2,627 1,940 2,611 1,975 
			 Total Residential stock 3,314 n/a 3,309 n/a 2,608 n/a 3,384 n/a 3,198 n/a 
			 Newcastle upon Tyne 
			  
			 Local Authority 1,674 768 1,565 580 1,633 649 1,542 590 1,778 761 
			 RSL 494 n/a 653 n/a 480 n/a 522 n/a 470 n/a 
			 Other public sector 287 n/a 333 n/a 390 n/a 487 n/a 184 n/a 
			 Private sector 4,385 n/a 4,455 n/a 5,402 n/a 5,471 n/a 1,323 921 
			 Total 6,840 n/a 7,006 n/a 7,905 n/a 8,022 n/a 3,755 n/a 
			 North Tyneside 
			 Local Authority 1,437 820 1,604 1,009 1,170 683 1,119 561 1,057 607 
			 RSL 116 n/a 197 n/a 114 n/a 147 n/a 116 n/a 
			 Other public sector 0 n/a 1 n/a 0 n/a 3 n/a 0 n/a 
			 Other private sector 2,619 n/a 2791 n/a 3,724 n/a 2,675 1,211 2,657 1,113 
			 Total Residential stock 4,172 n/a 4,593 n/a 5,008 n/a 3,944 n/a 3,830 n/a 
			 South Tyneside 
			 Local Authority 371 44 426 49 368 30 495 68 518 119 
			 RSL 46 n/a 120 n/a 132 n/a 32 n/a 86 n/a 
			 Other public sector 0 n/a 0 n/a 0 n/a 0 n/a 0 n/a 
			 Other private sector 766 n/a 1,223 n/a 1,841 n/a 870 450 1,973 661 
			 Total Residential stock 1,183 n/a 1,769 n/a 2,341 n/a 1,397 n/a 2,577 n/a 
			 Sunderland 
			  
			 Local Authority 663 207 968 381 1,085 644 1,102 686 0 0 
			 RSL 100 n/a 72 n/a 94 n/a 85 n/a 1,009 n/a 
			 Other public sector 2 n/a 0 n/a 0 n/a 0 n/a 0 n/a 
			 Other private sector 1,933 n/a 2,360 n/a 3,119 n/a 2,562 1,062 3,925 3,000 
			 Total Residential stock 2,698 n/a 3,400 n/a 4,298 n/a 3,749 n/a 4,934 n/a 
		
	
	Notes:
	RSL—Registered Social Landlord
	Other public sector—includes Government Departments and public sector agencies (eg Health Authorities)
	A level of vacancy is a usual feature of housing management, reflecting turnover and movement within the stock. There is likely to be some variation in the proportion of dwellings vacant in a local authority from one date to another during the year.
	Source:
	Housing Investment Programme (HIP) returns

Rail Safety

Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what instructions his Department has issued to Railtrack since 1 September 2001 in relation to the work priorities of signalling engineers, with particular reference to the priority given to work on train protection and warning systems over other work.

David Jamieson: This is a matter for Railtrack. TPWS is to be completed by the end of 2003. Railtrack are on schedule to meet this deadline.

Transport 10-Year Plan

Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions, pursuant to his answer of 26 February 2002 ref. 37227, on 10 year plan funding, to which years the future controls periods refer.

David Jamieson: To all future five-year regulatory control periods from 1 April 2006 onwards.

South West Regional Assembly

Robert Key: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions if he will list the trunk road schemes in which the shadow South West Regional Assembly has intervened.

David Jamieson: The shadow South West Regional Assembly has not intervened in any "trunk road schemes".

Road Safety (Cannabis)

David Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what recent research his Department has carried out into the effect of cannabis smoking on the competence of road vehicle drivers.

David Jamieson: Research undertaken by TRL Ltd on behalf of the Department, and published in December 2000, concluded that the effects of cannabis on driver performance were different from those of alcohol, but they were unpredictable and as such could be a hazard. The complete TRL Report 477 "The Influence of cannabis on driving" is available directly from TRL Ltd or is free via the Department's website at "www.roads.dtlr.gov.uk/roadsafety/index.htm" under "DTLR Reports published by TRL". Alternatively, the summary of the report is available at "www.roads.dtlr.gov.uk/roadsafety/research16/index.htm".

Road Detrunking Programme

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what additional funding he will make available to county councils to accommodate their additional responsibilities under the detrunking programme.

David Jamieson: We are committed to supporting the detrunking programme with a fair transfer of resources, discussed and agreed with the Local Government Association. Until the new system of local government finance comes into effect, resources for routine maintenance will be provided by special grant. In the year of detrunking and the following year if detrunking takes place on or after 1 July, resources for capital maintenance will be provided through 2-year supplementary credit approvals. Amounts will be determined with the new highway authority on the basis of an engineering assessment. After this capital resources will be provided via the local transport settlement.

Road Detrunking Programme

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what additional funding he plans to make available to the county councils as highway authorities to accommodate those additional responsibilities under the de-trunking programme.

David Jamieson: We are committed to supporting the detrunking programme with a fair transfer of resources, discussed and agreed with the Local Government Association. Until the new system of local government finance comes into effect, resources for routine maintenance will be provided by special grant. In the year of detrunking and the following year if detrunking takes place on or after 1 July, resources for capital maintenance will be provided through 2-year supplementary credit approvals. Amounts will be determined with the new highway authority on the basis of an engineering assessment. After this capital resources will be provided via the local transport settlement.

Air Conditioning

Jonathan Sayeed: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions, 
	(1)  pursuant to the letter sent by (Mr. Chope) Under-Secretary of State to the hon. Member for Christchurch on 23 October 2001 whether (a) the technological elements of the refurbishment of the air conditioning chillers at the QE2 Centre have been finalised and(b)whether these are to contain not-in-kind or HFC refrigerants;
	(2)  whether an installer capable of installing not-in-kind air conditioning is being invited to quote for the refurbishment contract for the QE2 building; and if he will make a statement;
	(3)  which consultant is being used to advise on the installation of replacement air conditioning at the QE2 building.
	(4)  what measures are being taken by his Department to ensure that the consultant advising on the installation of replacement air conditioning at the QE2 building is aware of the Government's policy on the use of hydrofluorocarbon refrigerants in air-conditioning; and if he will make a statement on the measures taken by the consultant to source practical and safe alternatives to hydrofluorocarbon-based air-conditioning.

Alan Whitehead: We have been working on this project with a team which includes project managers Project Management International, engineers Cundall Johnson Partnership, architects Gollins Melvin Ward Partnership and cost consultants Dearle and Henderson. This team has experience of various, including not-in-kind, air-conditioning projects. We have engaged experts from AEA Technology to provide health and safety risk assessment. We also have engaged as client advisers a specialist team of refrigeration experts headed by BRE.
	Our project team has been evaluating the whole life costs and benefits of all options including not-in-kind air-conditioning. The project team and our advisers are fully aware of Government and Departmental policy on refrigerants and their work reflects this.
	We expect to make a decision in the spring on a choice of replacement air-conditioning which fully reflects this policy. We will have a project team, including installers, with expertise appropriate to the option selected.

Road Noise

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what budgetary provision has been made for the introduction of low noise road surfaces during the period of the 10-year plan.

David Jamieson: The amount is not identified separately. On local roads the choice is a matter for local authorities. On the strategic road network, operated by the Highways Agency, the 10-year plan allows for:
	the resurfacing of 60 per cent of the network with lower noise surfaces during the normal maintenance cycle including the resurfacing of all concrete roads, and for all new construction to use lower noise surfaces as a matter of course.

HOUSE OF COMMONS

Refurbishment

Joan Walley: To ask the Chairman of the Accommodation and Works Committee who provided or is providing the(a)windows and(b)doors for the refurbishment of the Norman Shaw South building.

Derek Conway: holding answer 8 March 2002
	Wallis Joinery, Broadmead Works, Maidstone, Kent is providing the new timber windows, doors and joinery used in the refurbishment of Norman Shaw South.

Refurbishment

Joan Walley: To ask the Chairman of the Accommodation and Works Committee what organisation provided the certification for the doors and windows for the refurbishment of the Norman Shaw South building to show that they were produced from sustainably managed sources; and if he will place a copy of these certificates in the Library.

Derek Conway: holding answer 8 March 2002
	Wallis Joinery, the manufacturer of the new timber windows, doors and joinery for the Norman Shaw South refurbishment project, operates a Quality Assurance system. This requires its timber suppliers to provide evidence (in the form of import licences and certificates) to show that timber supplied has been legally obtained and is from sustainably managed sources. The contractor is required to provide these licences and certificates to the House. When they are received I will ensure that copies are sent to the hon. Member.

WALES

Volunteers

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many members of his staff in each of the past two years have been granted a day's paid leave to work as a volunteer; and if he will make a statement.

Paul Murphy: The figure requested is not readily available.
	Staff in my department are subject to the terms and conditions of service of the National Assembly for Wales. These allow individuals to apply for paid special leave, of up to three days per year, to participate in voluntary work.

TRADE AND INDUSTRY

End of Life Vehicles Directive

Alan Beith: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will make arrangements under the End of Life Vehicles Directive to enable owners of classic cars who dismantle them in order to re-use their parts in other vehicles to obtain a certificate of destruction and have the vehicle removed from the register.

Brian Wilson: holding answer 7 March 2002
	The Directive requires the setting up of a system under which the issue of a Certificate of Destruction is a necessary condition of the deregistration of an end of life vehicle. We are exploring arrangements which will accommodate classic and other cars whose owners dismantle them in order to re-use their parts.

End of Life Vehicles Directive

Alan Beith: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment she has made of the proportion of UK vehicle dismantlers who are likely to obtain registration as approved treatment centres under the End of Life Vehicles Directive.

Brian Wilson: holding answer 7 March 2002
	Our intention is to ensure that an adequate collection and treatment network is maintained, operating to the improved environmental standards required by the Directive, and capable of dealing properly with all end of life vehicles. Having consulted industry, we believe that there will be a sufficient number of approved facilities to achieve this. The interpretation of the minimum technical standards which will apply to treatment facilities is still being discussed by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, the Environment Agency and industry, and we cannot at this stage assess precisely the proportion which will be approved.

End of Life Vehicles Directive

Alan Beith: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment she has made of the likely costs to vehicle-owners of dismantling of vehicles under the End of Life Vehicles Directive.

Brian Wilson: holding answer 7 March 2002
	Depollution and dismantling costs will be variable, and will depend on a number of factors, including the marque, model, age and condition of the vehicle being treated. Having consulted widely with industry, we estimate that the additional treatment costs required by the Directive might average around £50 per vehicle.

End of Life Vehicles Directive

Alan Beith: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment she has made of the impact on low income car owners of the costs of disposal under the End of Life Vehicles Directive.

Brian Wilson: holding answer 7 March 2002
	The impact upon all car owners is being taken into account as we consider the best means of implementing the Directive.

Equipment Leasing

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will list the equipment leasing arrangements entered into by her Department in each of the last four years; and what the cost to public funds in each case is.

Patricia Hewitt: Information on the hire of DTI's IT equipment and office machinery is not centrally available for the first two years and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost. For the two most recent years, central records indicate nearly 500 transactions with the following suppliers, by total value:
	
		
			 Supplier Jan–Dec 2000 Jan–Dec 2001 
		
		
			 Hire of IT Equipment1 
			  
			 Bull Finanservices PLC (BT)  £5,980 
			 Cable & Wireless Communications  £416 
			 International Computers Ltd (ICL) £25,272 £56,571 
			 Pipex Internet Ltd  £700 
			 PNE Consulting  £201 
			 Sierra Nova Consulting  £10,179 
			 Thomas Telford Ltd  £2,500 
			 Hire of Office Machinery 
			 Action Computer Supplies £668 
			 AFS  £849 
			 Anglo Financial Services £3,164 £4,629 
			 Aqua Cool £426  
			 Astron  £280 
			 Astron Document Services Ltd  £227 
			 Banner Business Supplies Ltd  £670 
			 British Telecommunications plc (BT)  £2,003 
			 BT Business Accounts £156  
			 BT UK Business Accounts  £539 
			 Business Plus £2,031 £618 
			 Cable & Wireless Communications £108 
			 Canford Audio plc  £106 
			 Canon (UK) Ltd £5,517 £15,982 
			 Danka UK plc £121,956 £67,303 
			 Danwood Finance Ltd £10,292 £15,781 
			 Danwood Financial Services Ltd £36,294 £17,958 
			 GBC UK £649  
			 GE Capital Equipment Finance Ltd £3,219 £19,042 
			 Hugo International Ltd  £1,444 
			 Ikon Capital plc  £2,880 
			 Ikon Office Solutions plc  £2,994 
			 International Computers Ltd (ICL) £2,100 £10,000 
			 Ionics (UK) Ltd  £2,000 
			 LMS Professions Ltd  £2,145 
			 Minolta Rentals Ltd £718 £859 
			 Minolta UK Ltd £3,650 £113 
			 Muirhead Systems Ltd £552  
			 Newcourt Credit  £3,006 
			 Repro Link £644 
			 Servus Facilities Management Ltd £100 
			 Sharp Electronics (UK) Ltd  £743 
			 Sharp Rentals Ltd £40,021 £16,841 
			 SMS Imaging  £480 
			 The Danwood Group Ltd £28,152 £13,766 
			 Vodaphone Corporate Limited £125 
			 Xerox (UK) Ltd £228,653 £275,818 
			 Xerox Finance Ltd £12,748 £19,431 
		
	
	1 The bulk of the Department's IT equipment is not hired directly but is supplied as part of a service contract.

Press Office

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many staff in her Department's press office have received (a) termination and (b) redundancy payments in each of the last four years.

Patricia Hewitt: None.

Export Licences (Dual-use Goods)

Ann Clwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will list the UK exporters who have registered with the Applicant Services and Compliance Unit (DTI) to export dual use goods under the authority of the Community General Export Authorisation.

Nigel Griffiths: UK exporters provide registration details for the CGEA in confidence. Information given in confidence is exempt from disclosure under Exemption 13 the Code of Practice on Access to Government Information.

Nuclear Installations Decommissioning (Former Soviet Union)

Jim Cousins: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what expenditure, and in which states, her Department has incurred on the decommissioning of nuclear installations and equipment, both defence or civil-related, in the former Soviet Union in each year since 1996; and how much she plans to spend in 2001–02.

Brian Wilson: In July 2000, the Government announced an inter-Departmental £84 million Former Soviet Union Programme of expenditure in the period 2000 to 2004 on nuclear problems in the Former Soviet Union. This Programme is being managed by the Department. Its budget bought together both existing commitments and proposed new areas of work. We are in the early stages of establishing a comprehensive project portfolio, which includes defence-related spend in relation to plutonium disposition, submarine spent-nuclear fuel in NW Russia and the physical protection of proliferation on sensitive nuclear materials. Forecast outturn for the Programme in 2001–02 is estimated at £16,000,000.
	The following programme funds have assisted the decommissioning of nuclear power plants in the Former Soviet Union. These form part of the bilateral Nuclear Safety Programme—one of the Former Soviet Union programmes:
	
		
			 Year Expenditure under the Nuclear Safety Programme (£) 
		
		
			 1996–97 — 
			 1997–98 111,000 
			 1998–99 — 
			 1999–2000 53,000 
			 2000–01 209,000 
		
	
	Planned expenditure in this area during 2001–02 is £313,000 for the Nuclear Safety Programme in Lithuania and Ukraine, and 1,500,000 Euro for the International Decommissioning Support fund for Ignalina.

Small Business

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if the Government accepted the recommendation put forward by the Small Business Council to use litmus tests.

Nigel Griffiths: The Small Business Council recommended that the Government use focus groups of small businesses as well as throughout the Regulatory Impact Assessment process in considering regulations. The SBS now uses litmus tests through focus groups.

Small Business

John Whittingdale: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the restrictions are on the number of loans to one company that can be guaranteed under the Small Firms Loan Guarantee Scheme; and if she will make a statement.

Patricia Hewitt: Under the Small Firms Loan Guarantee Scheme a business can borrow up to an overall limit of £100,000 if it has been trading for less than two years, rising to £250,000 if it has been trading for two years or more. Loans to other businesses where the same individual is involved will count towards the overall limit. There is no restriction on the number of loans provided the total borrowed is within these limits.

Correspondence

Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the average response time was for responding to departmental correspondence; what percentage of letters took longer than one month for a response; and what percentage took longer than three months for a response in each of the last five years.

Patricia Hewitt: Figures broken down in percentages of replies within each of the specified timescales are unavailable. However my department monitors its performance annually by sample for all correspondence (excluding Ministerial) against the Whitehall standard
	"to answer all correspondence within 15 working days". The latest figure available is for 2000–01 when the department answered 95 per cent. of correspondence within this target. The volume of correspondence was estimated to be 81,726.
	Figures for previous years were:
	
		
			 Year Per cent. 
		
		
			 1997–98 95 
			 1998–99 92 
			 1999–2000 96 
		
	
	My department has a target of answering Ministerial correspondence within 10 days. Information broken down as requested is not available. Figures on departmental performance against targets in responding to Ministerial correspondence are published annually by the Cabinet Office.
	The figures published for the last two years for my department's performance against the target of responding to Ministerial correspondence within 10 days are as follows.
	
		
			 Year Per cent. 
		
		
			 1998–99 50 
			 1999–2000 60 
		
	
	The figure for this year will be published by the Cabinet Office in due course.

Military Exports (Israel)

George Galloway: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the categories were of the standard individual export licences issued for military exports to Israel between May and October 2001; and if she will make a statement.

Nigel Griffiths: Between 1 May and 31 October 2001 the following categories of items on the Military List were licensed for export to Israel:
	ML1
	ML2
	ML3
	ML4
	ML5
	ML6
	ML8
	ML9
	ML10
	ML11
	ML13
	ML14
	ML15
	ML16
	ML21
	PL5017
	PL5031

Military Exports (Israel)

George Galloway: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many of the standard individual export licences were issued for military exports to Israel from October 2001; and in what categories they were; and if she will make a statement.

Nigel Griffiths: Between 1 October 2001 and 18 February 2002 61 Standard Individual Export Licences (SIELs) were issued covering items on the Military List. Individual export licences might cover a range of items with various ratings. Where this is so, the licence is included in the totals for all of the relevant ratings. Details are set out in the table:
	
		
			 Rating No. of Licences 
		
		
			 ML2 2 
			 ML4 5 
			 ML5 20 
			 ML9 8 
			 ML10 10 
			 ML11 9 
			 ML13 2 
			 ML14 1 
			 ML15 2 
			 ML21 2 
			 ML22 2 
			 PL5017 2 
			 PL5031 1 
		
	
	All export licence applications to Israel continue to be assessed against the Consolidated EU and National Arms Export Licensing Criteria in light of the circumstances prevailing at the time of the application. This means that we will not issue licences where to do so would be in contravention of the Consolidated Criteria, including where there is a clear risk that the items might be used in internal repression, international aggression, adversely effect regional stability or prolong internal conflict.

Business Link Call Centre

Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what her estimate is of the total cost of the Business Link national call centre between its inception in 2001 and its planned closure in 2002.

Nigel Griffiths: The DTI's programme of information and advice services for small businesses, known as the Gateway is delivered under a managed service contract with one contractor and consists of four components:
	a web site
	a contract centre service 0845 600 9006
	a national client database; and
	a range of support systems for 43 local Business Link Operators.
	The Gateway cost £2.65 million pounds to set up and currently costs £3.75 million pounds in fixed annual service charges to run.
	The cost of the Business Link National Contact Centre cannot be disaggregated.

Business Link Call Centre

Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment she has made of the quality of service provided to users of the Business Link national call centre.

Nigel Griffiths: The Small Business Service (SBS) has continually monitored the performance of the inquiry handling service since April 2001 (when the Business Link National Contact Centre started operating). In particular the SBS has:
	commissioned an independent performance survey;
	received and reacted to feed back, compliments and complaints from SME customers and from the Small Business Council (SBC) and the Business Links;
	listened to and quality reviewed sample calls received by the Business Link National Contact Centre; and
	worked with its contractor to review and improve the quality of service delivery.
	In the light of these assessments, the SBS has considered a number of options to improve the enquiry handling service. The SBS has now concluded that instead of being handled by a centre service point, calls will be routed straight to local Business Link Operators. This will improve responsiveness and service to customers.

Business Link Call Centre

Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what steps she is taking to ensure that advice will continue to be available free of charge and without pressure to purchase services via local business links following the closure of the Business Link national call centre.

Nigel Griffiths: We have no plans for changing the basis of Business Link charges or to pressurise any users into purchasing services from Business Link Operators.

Joint Strike Fighter

Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment she has made of the shortfall in the number of engineers working in UK aerospace needed to fulfil future major defence contracts, with particular reference to the JSF.

Brian Wilson: The Department is not aware of any particular problems in relation to the number of engineers available for the Joint Strike Fighter programme. UK companies including BAE SYSTEMS, Rolls-Royce, Smiths and others won their place on Lockheed Martin's JSF team on their own merits in the face of tough international competition. Part of the reason for their success was the availability of highly-skilled aerospace engineers and capabilities in the UK.

Advertising

Alex Salmond: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the cost was of media advertising in each of the past five parliamentary sessions including the current session, for her Department in (a) England, (b) Wales and (c) Northern Ireland; and for the last two Parliamentary sessions and the current Parliamentary session, what the media advertising expenditure was per month in (i) England, (ii) Wales and (iii) Northern Ireland.

Patricia Hewitt: I provided information on expenditure on DTI advertising through the COI for previous financial years in the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Twickenham (Dr. Cable) on 20 November 2001, Official Report, column 162W. Information in the format requested is not available and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

Advertising

Alex Salmond: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the expenditure was per campaign for the five most expensive media advertising campaigns her Department undertook in the past five Parliamentary sessions including the current Parliamentary session in (a) Scotland, (b) England, (c) Wales and (d) Northern Ireland; and for the last two Parliamentary sessions and the current session, when each advertising campaign (i) began and (ii) ended in (A) Scotland, (B) England, (C) Wales and(D)Northern Ireland.

Patricia Hewitt: The information requested is not available centrally and could be produced only at disproportionate cost.

Non-governmental Organisations

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will list non-Governmental organisations operating in the South West Region that receive public funds from her Department; and what amount of annual funding they received in the most recent year for which figures are available.

Patricia Hewitt: The information requested is not readily available in the form requested and could only be assembled at disproportionate cost.

Press and Public Relations

Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the annual budget for communications activities, including press, public relations, marketing and internal communications, was for her Department for each financial year from 1997–98 to 2001–02.

Patricia Hewitt: There is no separately identified budget for communications activities. Expenditure is authorised by the relevant programme budget holders along with other items of expenditure in those policy areas. Information on expenditure of this kind is not held centrally and could only be produced at disproportionate cost.

Beer and Cider

Joan Walley: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many representations she has received in the last 12 months from individuals concerning short beer and cider measures.

Melanie Johnson: Since 1 March 2001 the Department has received 9,000 representations, either direct to the Department or through Members' correspondence.

Metrication

Nigel Waterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will make a statement on the implications of the decision in Dove v. Cornwall County Council.

Melanie Johnson: The decision by the High Court confirms that the metrication legislation made in 1994 and 1995 is lawful and valid.

Sub-sea Surveys

John Whittingdale: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what consideration is given to the interests of local fishermen in determining applications for licences to carry out sub-sea surveys.

Patricia Hewitt: All applications and notifications by applicants wishing to carrying out oil and gas surveys are subject to a review process, which includes mechanisms to take account of the interests of fishing organisations.
	In Scotland, the Scottish Fishermen's Federation is informed of proposed surveys and details are published in the Kingfisher Fortnightly Bulletin for the benefit of fishermen. If a survey is proposed in an area where fishing activity is intense, our statutory consultees, the Scottish Executive's Fisheries Research Services, will provide comments that draw the fishermen's interests to my Department.
	In England, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) are our statutory consultees representing fisheries interests. DEFRA seek the views of local Sea Fisheries Committees and take account of these in advice to my Department. Where comments arise, my Department communicates them to the applicant, and the applicant will often arrange for details to be published in the Kingfisher Fortnightly Bulletin.

Sub-sea Surveys

John Whittingdale: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will make it a requirement for applicants for licences to carry out sub-sea surveys to consult first with representatives of local fishermen.

Patricia Hewitt: The current process includes mechanisms to take account of the interests of fishing organisations. My Department would welcome comments from fishing representatives on our forthcoming consultation on draft Guidance Notes relating to oil and gas surveys. Their views will be given due consideration in the preparation of the final Guidance Notes.

HOME DEPARTMENT

Money Laundering

Harry Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many actions by the police (a) have been undertaken and (b) are pending against UK financial institutions alleged to have been involved in money laundering activities; and if he will make a statement.

Bob Ainsworth: Statistics are kept of prosecutions undertaken and convictions secured for a variety of money laundering offences under United Kingdom legislation, and are given in the tables. However, there are no details available as to whether these proceedings were against individuals or corporate bodies.
	Ongoing or pending investigations into money laundering offences are a matter for the police and other enforcement agencies with responsibilities in this area.
	
		Number of Offenders convicted for Money Laundering offences, by type of offence, England and Wales, 1989–2000p
		
			 Code Offence 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 
		
		
			  Drug Money Laundering Offences 
			 93/49 S49 Drug Trafficking Act 1994 (previously S14 Criminal Justice (International Co-operation) Act 1990—Concealing or transferring the proceeds of drug trafficking * * — — — 1 — — 4 — 12 5 
			 93/50 S50 Drug Trafficking Act 1994 (previously S24 Drug Trafficking Offences Act 1986)—1Assisting another person to retain the benefit of drug trafficking — — — — 4 4 3 2 11 9 9 9 
			 93/51 S51 Drug Trafficking Act 1994 (previously S23A Drug Trafficking Offences At 1986 as inserted by S18 Criminal Justice Act 1993)—Acquisition, possession of use of other proceeds of drug trafficking * * * * * — — 3 13 7 9 2 
			 93/52 S52 Drug Trafficking Act 1994—Failure to disclose knowledge or suspicion of money laundering * * * * * — — — — — — — 
			 93/53 S53 Drug Trafficking Act 1994—Disclosure of information likely to prejudice an investigation ("Tipping off") * * * * * — — — — — — — 
			  Offence of Laundering Proceeds of Other Crime 
			 53/26 S93A Criminal Justice Act 19882 as inserted by S29 Criminal Justice Act 1993—Assisting another to retain the benefit of criminal conduct * * * * * — — 2 10 4 4 8 
			 53/27 S93B Criminal Justice Act 19882 as inserted by S30 Criminal Justice Act 1993—Acquisition, possession or use of proceeds of criminal conduct * * * * * — — 6 4 2 5 6 
			 52/28 S93C Criminal Justice Act 19882 as inserted by S31 Criminal Justice Act 1993—Concealing or transferring proceeds of criminal conduct * * * * * — — — 1 4 — 9 
			 53/29 S93D Criminal Justice Act 19882 as inserted by S32 Criminal Justice Act 1993—Disclose of information likely to prejudice an investigaiton ("Tipping off") * * * * * — — — — — — — 
		
	
	p 2000 data are provisional.
	— Nil Return.
	* Not applicable.
	1 Court Proceedings data prior to 1993 cannot separately identify offences under S24 Drug Trafficking Offences Act 1986 (since consolidated and replaced by S50 Drug Trafficking Act 1994) from other drug offences. For the years 1993, 1994, and 1995, a special exercise was undertaken to identify this specific offence. However as a 100 per cent. response from courts was not achieved "estimates" for these three years were made.
	2 Sections 93A to 93D Criminal Justice Act 1988 came into force in February 1994.
	Source:
	Crime and Criminal Justice Unit (RDS), Home Office.
	
		Number of Defendants prosecuted for Money Laundering offences, by type of offence, England and Wales, 1989–2000p
		
			 Code Legislation and Offence Description 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 
		
		
			  Drug Money Laundering Offences 
			 93/49 S49 Drug Trafficking Act 1994 (previously S14 Criminal Justice (International Co-operation) Act 1990—Concealing or transferring the proceeds of drug trafficking * * — — — 1 — 7 20 9 22 46 
			 93/50 S50 Drug Trafficking Act 1994 (previously S24 Drug Trafficking Offences Act 1986)—1Assisting another person to retain the benefit of drug trafficking — — — — 8 14 17 5 15 17 50 20 
			 93/51 S51 Drug Trafficking Act 1994 (previously S23A Drug Trafficking Offences Act 1986 as inserted by S16 Criminal Justice Act 1993)—Acquisition, possession or use of other proceeds of drug trafficking * * * * * — 7 9 13 9 13 6 
			 93/52 S52 Drug Trafficking Act 1994—Failure to disclose knowledge or suspicion of money laundering * * * * * — 1 — — — 1 1 
			 93/53 S53 Drug Trafficking Act 1994—Disclosure of information likely to prejudice an investigation ("Tipping off") * * * * * — 1 — — — 1 — 
			  Offence of Laundering Proceeds of Other Crime 
			 53/26 S93A Criminal Justice Act 19882 as inserted by S29 Criminal Justice Act 1993—Assisting another to retain the benefit of criminal conduct * * * * * — 1 6 10 9 10 7 
			 53/27 S93B Criminal Justice Act 19882 as inserted by S30 Criminal Justice Act 1993—Acquisition, possession or use of proceeds of criminal conduct * * * * * — 1 5 6 5 10 11 
			 52/28 S93C Criminal Justice Act 19882 as inserted by S31 Criminal Justice Act 1993—Concealing or transferring proceeds of criminal conduct * * * * * — 1 — 12 3 19 27 
			 53/29 S93D Criminal Justice Act 19882 as inserted by S32 Criminal Justice Act 1993—Disclose of information likely to prejudice an investigation ("Tipping off") * * * * * — — — — — — — 
		
	
	p 2000 data are provisional.
	— Nil Return.
	* Not applicable.
	1 Court Proceedings data prior to 1993 cannot separately identify offences under S24 Drug Trafficking Offences Act 1986 (since consolidated and replaced by S50 Drug Trafficking Act 1994) from other drug offences. For the years 1993, 1994, and 1995, a special exercise was undertaken to identify this specific offence. However as a 100 per cent. response from courts was not achieved "estimates" for these three years were made.
	2 Sections 93A to 93D Criminal Justice Act 1988 came into force in February 1994.
	Source:
	Crime and Criminal Justice Unit (RDS), Home Office.

Asylum Accommodation Centres

Peter Luff: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  what assessment he has made of the likely availability of staff for the proposed asylum accommodation centre at Throckmorton;
	(2)  what his estimate is of the (a) cost of construction and (b) running costs of each asylum accommodation centre.

Angela Eagle: The Home Office recently launched a procurement competition, under the European Commission Directives, in respect of the proposed Accommodation Centres. The information requested cannot be provided as it would prejudice the Home Office's ability to obtain best value for money from the competition as prospective bidders would become aware of our commercial expectations.
	Work has been undertaken on behalf of the Home Office to assess economic sustainability in respect of all the sites identified as having the potential for development as an Accommodation Centre. Those assessments will be made available to local authorities as part of the planning process.

Anti-Terrorism, Crime and Security Act

David Kidney: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many persons have been detained under section 23 of the Anti-Terrorism, Crime and Security Act 2001 specifying (a) the duration of each detainee's detention, (b) in how many cases the detention under section 23 has come to an end and (c) the reasons why such detention has come to an end.

David Blunkett: Nine foreign nationals have so far been detained using powers in Part IV of the Anti-Terrorism, Crime and Security Act. Of those detained one has left the United Kingdom voluntarily; the other eight remain in detention.

Police Station (Newark)

Patrick Mercer: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has for a new police station in Newark.

John Denham: Decisions on the provision of police stations are matters for the Police Authority and Chief Officer.

Convention Derogations

Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department for how long he expects (a) the derogation from Article 5 of the European Convention on Human Rights and (b) the derogation from Article 9 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights to last; and if he will make a statement.

Bob Ainsworth: For as long as the United Kingdom faces a public emergency threatening the life of the nation, the limited derogation from Article 5 of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) and Article 9 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) will continue to be necessary.

Prison Service

Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to his answer of 5 February 2002, Official Report, column 877W, on the Prison Service, what the additional cost will be each year of the pay review award; what proportion of the additional cost will be met from maintenance of the prison estate being re-scheduled; if he will list the maintenance projects which will be re-scheduled and the new dates; what proportion of the additional cost will be met from efficiency savings from the wider Home Office budget; if he will list the areas where efficiency savings will be made; and if he will make a statement.

Beverley Hughes: The additional cost of the pay review award for the present Spending Review period is:
	2001–02: £4.6 million
	2002–03: £21.1 million
	2003–04: £37.2 million
	Although the plan remains to re-schedule some maintenance projects, this has not been worked up in detail yet. Similarly, how best to meet the cost of the award between the Prison Service budget and that of the wider Home Office is still under consideration.

Airguns

Ashok Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  what licensing requirements are in place for air (a) rifles and (b) pistols held in the UK; and how many licences have been awarded each year since 1996;
	(2)  what restrictions there are on air (a) rifle and (b) pistol ownership in the UK;
	(3)  if he will make a statement on (a) the legislation and (b) the restrictions on the use and ownership of airguns.

Bob Ainsworth: The law relating to the use and possession of air guns varies according to the muzzle energy of the gun concerned.
	Air guns with muzzle energies below about three quarters of a foot pound are not regarded as firearms because they are not capable of inflicting a potentially lethal injury. These are generally referred to as airsoft or BB guns and do not come under the control of the Firearms Acts excepting where it is an offence to threaten other people with an imitation firearm in such a way as to cause them to believe that unlawful violence might be used against them.
	Air rifles with muzzle energies between three quarters of a foot pound and 12 foot pounds and air pistols with muzzle energies between three quarters of a foot pound and six foot pounds are classed as firearms and, although they do not have to be kept on a firearm certificate, do come under the control of the Acts.
	It is an offence to make a gift of an air weapon to a person under 14 years of age or to sell one to a person under 17. It is also an offence for a person under 17 to have an uncovered air weapon in a public place or for anyone, of whatever age, to have a loaded air weapon in a public place. Trespass with an air weapon is also an offence whether in a building or on open land, as is having an air weapon with intent to damage property. Having an air weapon with intent to endanger life or to resist arrest both carry a maximum penalty of life imprisonment.
	Air rifles with muzzle energies greater than 12 foot pounds fall under the control of section 1 of the Firearms Act 1968 and must be kept on a police issued firearm certificate. No central record is kept of the number of air rifles kept on a firearms certificate. Air pistols with muzzle energies of greater than six foot pounds are prohibited weapons under the terms of section 5(1)(aba) of the Act and may not be possessed without the express authority of the Secretary of State for the Home Department. No authorities have been specifically issued for air pistols.

Airguns

Ashok Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many incidents involving the use and misuse of an airgun have been recorded each year since 1996.

John Denham: General use of air weapons is not recorded. The number of recorded crimes in England and Wales involving air weapons in each year since 1996 is as follows:
	
		
			 Year Number of recorded crimes involving air weapons 
		
		
			 1996 7,813 
			 1997 7,506 
			 1998–991 8,665 
			 1999–2000 10,103 
			 2000–01 10,227 
		
	
	1 Year ending March. There was a change in counting rules for recorded crime on 1 April 1998, which expanded the offences covered, and placed a greater emphasis on counting crimes in terms of numbers of victims. Numbers of recorded crimes after this date are therefore not directly comparable with previous years.

Prison Statistics

Paul Stinchcombe: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what percentage of prisoners in each prison establishment in England and Wales are from minority ethnic groups.

Beverley Hughes: The population breakdown for each prison establishment in England and Wales for 31 January 2002 is given in the table.
	
		
			 Prison Name Total Number of Prisoners White % Black % Asian % Chinese and Other % 
		
		
			 Acklington 767 97 1 1 1 
			 Albany 443 93 5 1 1 
			 Altcourse 894 94 4 1 1 
			 Ashfield 376 88 9 1 2 
			 Ashwell 417 81 11 5 4 
			 Askham Grange 119 78 16 2 4 
			 Aylesbury 345 57 34 5 5 
			 Bedford 436 75 14 8 3 
			 Belmarsh 857 58 30 3 9 
			 Birmingham 849 65 22 4 9 
			 Blakenhurst 847 79 14 4 3 
			 Blantyre House 117 75 17 4 3 
			 Blundestone 417 55 39 2 4 
			 Brinsford 439 71 21 5 3 
			 Bristol 612 85 13 1 2 
			 Brixton 742 48 41 2 8 
			 Brockhill 154 77 17 1 5 
			 Buckley Hall 135 83 10 4 3 
			 Bullingdon 889 71 20 5 4 
			 Bullwood Hall 152 68 24 0 8 
			 Camp Hill 526 63 31 3 3 
			 Canterbury 304 83 8 2 7 
			 Cardiff 668 94 5 0 1 
			 Castington 240 94 2 1 3 
			 Channings Wood 581 93 5 1 1 
			 Chelmsford 479 79 12 3 5 
			 Coldingley 353 54 38 1 7 
			 Cookham Wood 143 43 48 0 9 
			 Dartmoor 604 90 7 1 1 
			 Deerbolt 423 95 2 1 1 
			 Doncaster 1,091 89 6 1 4 
			 Dorchester 257 94 4 1 1 
			 Dovegate 658 71 23 3 3 
			 Dover 178 63 29 3 5 
			 Downview 163 40 53 1 7 
			 Drake Hall 256 86 11 2 1 
			 Durham 710 95 3 1 1 
			 East Sutton Park 96 49 36 3 11 
			 Eastwood Park 322 77 20 0 2 
			 Elmley 930 81 13 2 4 
			 Erlestoke 317 91 8 2 0 
			 Everthorpe 364 89 6 2 2 
			 Exeter 482 97 2 0 0 
			 Featherstone 589 75 15 4 6 
			 Feltham 651 41 43 4 11 
			 Ford 394 75 14 4 7 
			 Forest Bank 917 89 6 3 2 
			 Foston Hall 213 84 13 1 2 
			 Frankland 639 87 8 2 3 
			 Full Sutton 595 81 12 2 4 
			 Garth 633 83 10 5 2 
			 Gartree 281 86 6 6 1 
			 Glen Parva 747 82 12 4 1 
			 Gloucester 318 92 5 2 1 
			 Grendon/Spring Hill 430 81 12 4 3 
			 Guys Marsh 520 87 10 2 1 
			 Haslar 143 28 26 19 27 
			 Hatfield 170 88 2 7 3 
			 Haverigg 529 97 2 1 1 
			 Hewell Grange 181 71 14 8 7 
			 Highdown 674 65 27 2 6 
			 Highpoint 840 66 28 2 5 
			 Hindley 406 79 14 5 3 
			 Hollesley Bay 323 78 16 3 3 
			 Holloway 498 53 36 1 10 
			 Holme House 963 96 1 0 2 
			 Hull 632 94 3 2 1 
			 Huntercombe 323 58 31 4 8 
			 Kingston (Portsmouth) 179 85 10 2 2 
			 Kirkham 447 89 3 5 3 
			 Kirklevington 150 90 2 7 1 
			 Lancaster 215 95 2 2 1 
			 Lancaster Farms 512 90 4 6 0 
			 Latchmere House 172 58 28 6 8 
			 Leeds 1,277 85 6 8 1 
			 Leicester 361 77 10 12 1 
			 Lewes 464 86 11 1 1 
			 Leyhill 379 89 5 4 1 
			 Lincoln 549 95 4 1 1 
			 Lindholme 621 74 12 7 7 
			 Littlehey 620 81 13 3 3 
			 Liverpool 1,449 91 6 1 2 
			 Long Lartin 400 74 16 4 6 
			 Low Newton 291 96 2 0 1 
			 Lowdham Grange 494 71 19 3 7 
			 Maidstone 372 76 14 2 7 
			 Manchester 1,231 83 10 3 4 
			 Moorland 769 83 10 4 3 
			 Morton Hall 184 42 47 1 10 
			 New Hall 369 83 12 1 4 
			 North Sea Camp 196 91 4 4 1 
			 Northallerton 183 92 3 3 2 
			 Norwich 753 88 7 1 3 
			 Nottingham 506 81 14 3 2 
			 Onley 490 76 15 5 4 
			 Parc 882 95 3 1 1 
			 Parkhurst 451 62 29 3 6 
			 Pentonville 1,198 48 36 5 10 
			 Portland 436 64 26 3 6 
			 Preston 563 92 2 3 2 
			 Ranby 737 87 8 4 1 
			 Reading 240 85 8 3 3 
			 Risley 799 88 9 2 1 
			 Rochester 64 55 13 5 28 
			 Rye Hill 587 70 16 5 10 
			 Send 214 46 47 1 6 
			 Shepton Mallet 157 86 11 1 2 
			 Shrewsbury 334 90 4 4 2 
			 Stafford 621 79 15 3 3 
			 Standford Hill 347 69 18 7 6 
			 Stocken 566 79 11 7 2 
			 Stoke Heath 492 89 8 1 2 
			 Styal 449 85 12 1 2 
			 Sudbury 492 79 9 8 4 
			 Swaleside 749 62 26 3 9 
			 Swansea 320 97 1 0 2 
			 Swinfen Hall 307 72 19 7 2 
			 The Mount 742 47 40 4 8 
			 The Verne 564 50 39 1 10 
			 The Weare 387 73 19 1 6 
			 The Wolds 405 95 4 1 1 
			 Thorn Cross 192 79 9 7 5 
			 Usk/Prescoed 324 96 2 0 1 
			 Wakefield 558 87 10 2 2 
			 Wandsworth 1,362 55 31 2 11 
			 Wayland 626 70 23 3 4 
			 Wealstun 607 84 6 9 2 
			 Wellingborough 499 81 13 2 4 
			 Werrington 118 90 6 3 1 
			 Wetherby 336 85 5 7 3 
			 Whatton 271 94 3 1 1 
			 Whitemoor 418 72 18 3 7 
			 Winchester 581 82 13 1 3 
			 Woodhill 705 79 12 5 3 
			 Wormwood Scrubs 982 41 44 6 9 
			 Wymott 794 93 3 2 2 
			  
			 Total Population 67,870 78 15 3 4

Crime Statistics (St Helens, South)

Shaun Woodward: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the level of recorded (a) burglary, (b) robbery and (c) crimes of violence was in St Helens, South in each of the last three years.

John Denham: Information on recorded crime is not collected by parliamentary constituency level. Data for St Helens Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnership are available for 1999–2000 onwards, and have been provided in the table.
	
		
			 St Helens April 1999 to March 2000 April 2000 to March 2001 
		
		
			 Burglary in a dwelling 1,550 1,669 
			 Robbery 171 178 
			 Violence against the person 1,693 1,795

Laeken Conclusions

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will identify the specialist services referred to in paragraph 17 of the Laeken conclusions.

David Blunkett: The specialist services referred to at paragraph 17 of the Laeken conclusions of 14 and 15 December 2001 are the different services with responsibility for combating terrorism within each of the European Union member states.

WORK AND PENSIONS

Disability Living Allowance

Christopher Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many applicants for disability living allowance have sought review of decisions in the last 12 months for which figures are available but have not then proceeded to appeal.

Maria Eagle: Information is not available in the form requested.

Disability Living Allowance

Christopher Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many appeals against decisions against the withdrawal of disability living allowance were lodged in the last 12 months for which figures are available; how many appeals were decided during that period; and how many such appeals were successful (a) in whole and (b) in part.

Maria Eagle: The available information is in the table.
	
		DLA Appeals in the period 1 December 2000 to 30 November 2001
		
			  Number 
		
		
			 Caseload (000)1 2,271.1 
			 Appeals lodged2 85,085 
			 Appeals cleared at hearing2 88,555 
			 Appeals found in favour of appellant2 46,075 
		
	
	Notes:
	All figures are provisional and subject to change.
	Figures rounded to the nearest 5.
	Source:1
	DLA caseload figures are current at 31 August 2001, from 5 per cent samples of data. Caseload figures are expressed in thousands and have been rounded to the nearest hundred.
	Source:2
	100 per cent download of the Generic Appeals Processing System.

Child Support

Steve Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to his answer of 27 February 2002, Official Report, column 1320W, on child support, what the basis was for the assumption that the introduction of the new child support scheme would result in a rise in the level of compliance.

Malcolm Wicks: The new child support scheme is far less complex than the current scheme and hence the need for recalculation following changes in circumstances will be less. The result will be that more resources are available for the agency to use on tracing non-resident parents, on collection of arrears and on enforcement of unpaid debt.

PRESIDENT OF THE COUNCIL

Job Sharing

John Bercow: To ask the President of the Council if he will make a statement on the extent of job sharing in his Department.

Robin Cook: I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave the hon. Member for Twickenham (Dr. Cable) on Thursday 14 February 2002, Official Report, columns 631–32W.

Non-Governmental organisations

Adrian Sanders: To ask the President of the Council if he will list non-Governmental organisations operating in the South West Region that receive public funds from his Department; and what amount of annual funding they received in the most recent year for which figures are available.

Robin Cook: My Department has never funded non-governmental organisations, and it would not be appropriate for it to do so.

Catering services

John Bercow: To ask the President of the Council what the cost was of (a) in-house canteen and (b) other catering services provided by his Department in each of the last four years.

Robin Cook: My Department has only 43 staff. It does not provide its own in-house canteen or other catering services, and has not done so during the period mentioned. Staff from my Department may use some facilities provided by the Cabinet Office, and those who support me in my role as Leader of the House use certain facilities in the Palace of Westminster.

Advertising

John Bercow: To ask the President of the Council if he will list the publicity and advertising campaigns run by his Department in each of the last four years, specifying the (a) purpose, (b) cost to public funds, (c) number of staff involved and (d) method of evaluation in each case.

Robin Cook: My Department has never run an advertising or publicity campaign.

Volunteers

Bob Russell: To ask the President of the Council how many members of his staff in each of the past two years have been granted a day's paid leave to work as a volunteer; and if he will make a statement.

Robin Cook: One member of staff from my Department (out of a total staff of 43) has been granted paid leave to work as a volunteer during the past two years. My Department's policy is to support special paid leave for volunteering, subject to operational needs. A list is maintained of volunteer bureaux agencies if staff wish to volunteer but do not know what is available. My Department's policy statement on volunteering will once more be drawn to the attention of all Privy Council Office staff.

Press Office

John Bercow: To ask the President of the Council how many staff in his Department's press office have received (a) termination and (b) redundancy payments in each of the last four years.

Robin Cook: None. Press office facilities are supported by the Cabinet Office Communication Group.

Rail Journeys (Staff)

John Bercow: To ask the President of the Council if he will make it his policy that rail journeys undertaken by staff in his Department should ordinarily be on standard class tickets.

Robin Cook: That is already my policy. Staff in my Department travel by rail on standard class tickets unless accompanying a Minister or someone else entitled to first class travel.

Job Advertisements

John Bercow: To ask the President of the Council if he will list the job advertisements placed by his Department in the last 12 months specifying where the advertisements were placed and the cost in each case.

Robin Cook: The information requested is as follows:
	
		
			 Post Advertised Placing of advertisement Cost 
		
		
			 Judicial Committee messenger Local Jobcentre Nil 
			 Administrative support for my private office Employment agency [Brook Street] £3,187

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

Fair Trade

Michael Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to his answer of 16 November 2001, Official Report, column 927W, on fair trade goods, if he will review and increase the amount of fairly traded goods purchased by her Department during Fair Trade Fortnight.

Denis MacShane: Yes.

Fair Trade

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether fair trade products are sold in his Department.

Denis MacShane: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Angus (Mr. Weir) today, UIN 35920.

Civil servants

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what was the (a) percentage and number of rail journeys undertaken on first class tickets, (b) average cost of a first class journey by rail and (c) total cost of rail travel in each of the past four years broken down by grade of civil servant.

Denis MacShane: The information required could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

Departmental Staff

Christopher Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many overseas visits have been undertaken by parliamentary private secretaries in his Department at departmental expense in each of the last four years; and at what cost to public funds.

Denis MacShane: holding answer 25 February 2002
	Seven overseas visits by FCO parliamentary private secretaries travelling specifically on Government business took place in the period concerned. The total cost of these visits was approximately £15,600.
	Details of other visits by parliamentary private secretaries made in their capacity as MPs, are normally recorded in the Register of Members' interests as appropriate.

Capita

Boris Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many contracts the Department has with Capita; and how much they are worth.

Denis MacShane: The FCO has three contracts with Capita. Two cover staff recruitment services and the other relates to flexible working policies. Over their lifetime the total value of these contracts will be in the region of £1.96 million.

Capita

Boris Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list the contracts that have been awarded to the Capita Group by the Department.

Denis MacShane: The FCO has three contracts with Capita. Two cover staff recruitment services and the other relates to flexible working policies. Over their lifetime the total value of these contracts will be in the region of £1.96 million.

Colombia

Alan Duncan: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions the Government have had with the Government of Colombia during 2002 about the peace process there.

Denis MacShane: We have continuing dialogue with the Colombian Government about the peace process. I have written to the Colombian Ambassador about President Pastrana's recent decision to terminate the demilitarised zone in Colombia and spoken to Vice President Gustavo Bell expressing HMG's support for action taken to combat violence against civilians by guerillas and paramilitary groups.
	We have invited Colombian presidential candidates to the UK to exchange views on the situation in Colombia. Dr. Horacio Serpa has already visited.

Accommodation Costs

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the cost was of hotel accommodation for departmental staff working away from home in each of the last four years.

Denis MacShane: Information is not held in the format required and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

Special urgency provisions

Peter Luff: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how often the Department has applied the special urgency provisions in paragraph 22 of Circular 18/84 (Development by Government Departments) to a development by the Department; and if he will make a statement.

Denis MacShane: In the last three years during which the Foreign and Commonwealth Office has had the direct responsibility for the management of its properties there has been no application of the special urgency provisions.
	Information beyond this period is not available without incurring disproportionate cost.

HEALTH

Asbestos (Welsh Hospitals)

Owen Paterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health which north Wales hospital faces a bill of £40 million for the replacement of asbestos under the proposed new Health and Safety Executive regulations.

Paul Murphy: holding answer 1 March 2002
	I have been asked to reply. 
	This is a matter for the National Assembly for Wales, though I am assured that no hospital in Wales faces a bill of this size for asbestos removal.

Cancer and Heart Disease Spending

Oliver Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what proportion of the NHS budget was spent on (a) cancer and (b) heart disease in (i) 1997–98, (ii) 1998–99, (iii) 1999–2000, (v) 2000–01 and (v) in the current year to date.

Yvette Cooper: holding answer 20 November 2001
	I apologise to the hon. Member for the delay in responding to this question. I refer the hon. Member to the reply that my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State gave my hon. Friend the Member for Blackpool, North and Fleetwood (Mrs. Humble) on 5 March 202, Official Report, column 192W.
	The Department of Health does not collect figures on the cost of NHS services in a way that enables an accurate figure to be calculated for the total cost of a particular disease.

Correspondence

John Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he expects to answer the letters of 19 and 28 December from the hon. Member for Erith and Thamesmead regarding smoking, medical research and the Guildford Depository.

Yvette Cooper: I apologise to my hon. Friend for the delay in responding to this question. I refer my hon. Friend to the reply that my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State gave my hon. Friend the Member for Blackpool, North and Fleetwood (Mrs. Humble) on 5 March 2002, Official Report, column 192W.
	A reply was sent on 8 March.

Care Homes

David Borrow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment his Department has made of the impact on the care of elderly people in Lancashire of the proposed closure of care homes by Lancashire County Council.

Jacqui Smith: I apologise to my hon. Friend for the delay in responding to this question. I refer my hon. Friend to the reply that my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State gave my hon. Friend the Member for Blackpool, North and Fleetwood (Mrs. Humble) on 5 March 2002, Official Report, column 192W.
	I refer my hon. Friend to the reply which I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Pendle (Gordon Prentice) on 4 March 2002, Official Report, at column 121W.

Alzheimer's Disease

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what funding has been made available by his Department for research into Alzheimer's disease for each year since 1997; how many people were diagnosed as suffering from Alzheimer's for each of those years; and if he will make a statement.

Jacqui Smith: The main Government agency for research into the causes of and treatment for diseases is the Medical Research Council (MRC), which receives its funding via the Department of Trade and Industry.
	The Department of Health (DH) is supporting research into Alzheimer's disease and other forms of dementia, but does not separately identify expenditure for Alzheimer's disease only. Management of much of the research supported by the NHS is devolved and expenditure at project level is not held centrally by the Department.
	The available figures for DH and MRC expenditure on research on dementia are as follows:
	
		£000s 
		
			  DH MRC* 
		
		
			 1996–97 149 4,780 
			 1997–98 198 5,549 
			 1998–99 287 6,050 
			 1999–2000 245 7,200 
			 2000–01 220 8,200 
		
	
	*These figures include Alzheimer's disease, general dementia, AIDS related dementia, Pick's disease and Huntington's disease.
	The Department of Health does not routinely collect data on the numbers of people diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease.

Social Work Training

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people in the last five years have (a) applied for and (b) completed their social work training; and what the attrition rate was for social work courses.

Jacqui Smith: Information on the number of applicants for social work training is not held centrally as not all students apply through the Social Work Admissions Service.

Cancer Research Treatment

Ashok Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what (a) Government and (b) private funds are available in this financial year for research into cancer (i) care and (ii) treatment, broken down by types of cancer;
	(2)  what assessment he has made of the percentage of (a) Government and (b) private research funding available for cancer (i) research and (ii) treatment in the last year for which figures are available;
	(3)  how many (a) organisations and (b) facilities receive Government funding for cancer research; and how they are distributed (i) in the UK and (ii) by region;
	(4)  what criteria are used to determine the percentage of research funding allocated to different types of cancer by Government;
	(5)  how much was spent in the last year for which figures are available by (a) Government and (b) private organisations on cancer (i) treatment and (ii) research.

Yvette Cooper: The Government support health-related research, including for cancer, through three main routes. The Medical Research Council (MRC, which is funded via the Department of Trade and Industry) is the main agency through which the Government supports research on the causes and treatment of disease including cancer. Other research councils also contribute e.g. the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC).
	The Department of Health meets the National Health Service (NHS) costs of MRC charity funded research. The Department of Health also directly funds research to support policy development in health and social care, and to support effective practice in the NHS.
	The Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE, funded via the Department of Education and Skills) funds the university academic base. In addition, the health and education departments of the devolved administrations make corresponding contributions.
	The Department has estimated that the total Government expenditure on cancer research in 2000–01 was in the region of £190 million. The Department has estimated that expenditure on cancer research by charities in 2000–01 was approximately £180 million. Thus the amounts that the Government and the charities spent on cancer research were roughly equal. Some £500 million a year is spent by industry in the pharmaceutical and other sectors.
	The Department's funding for cancer research is not provided by specific allocations. The amount that is eventually spent on cancer research in any one year is influenced by a number of factors including the scientific quality of proposals received and the relevance to NHS priorities and needs. It is therefore not possible to give a figure for Department of Health spend on cancer research in the current financial year. But in 2000–01, the Department's expenditure on cancer research was £83.8 million.
	The Department, its equivalents in the devolved administrations, and the MRC are members of the new National Cancer Research Institute (NCRI), which is a partnership between government, charities and industry. The purpose of the NCRI is to streamline and accelerate the advancement of cancer research in the UK. The NCRI aims to do this by developing an overall strategy for cancer research in the UK and co-ordinating activities between member organisations.
	Many hundreds of organisations and facilities, including NHS Trusts and universities receive Government funding for cancer research. Details of all research funded by the Department are available on the National Research Register (www.doh.gov.uk/research).
	The NHS Cancer Plan also said that we will be investing an additional £20 million each year in the infrastructure for cancer research and an extra £4 million on prostate cancer research.
	In 2000–01, resources for treatment included in general allocations to the NHS. The Department does not collect information that enables a figure to be calculated on the cost of services relating to the treatment of a particular disease.

Nursing care

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the answers of 13 February 2002, Official Report, column 472W, what estimate he has made of the (a) total final cost of the financial support for nursing care based on these assessments and (b) average level of weekly support per patient assessed.

Jacqui Smith: A total of £100 million was made available to the NHS for the remaining 6 months of the current financial year for NHS funded nursing care for self funders, including funding for continence needs. This was based on an average figure of £90 per person per week.

Speech Therapy (Children)

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the availability of speech and language therapy for children in each health authority.

Jacqui Smith: It is for health authorities in partnership with Primary Care Groups/Trusts and other local stakeholders, to determine how best to meet national and local priorities for improving health, tackling health inequalities and modernising services.
	There has been an increase from September 2000 of 5,427 to 30 September 2001 of 5,683 (256 increase) speech and language therapists employed in England.

Therapists

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what action he is taking to improve recruitment of (a) physiotherapists, (b) occupational therapists and (c) speech therapists (i) in London and (ii) in general.

Jacqui Smith: We are implementing a range of measures to improve recruitment and retention of all staff, including physiotherapists, occupational therapists and speech therapists. These include an increase in pay, encouraging the National Health Service to become a better employer through the Improving Working Lives and Positively Diverse programmes, increasing training commissions, reducing student attrition, running national and local recruitment and return to practice campaigns, and supporting international recruitment where appropriate. Further information on Improving Working Lives is available at www.doh.gov.uk/iwl. These measures are being implemented in London, and nationally.

Road traffic accidents

Alex Salmond: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will give the estimated cost to the NHS of treatment of those (a) injured and (b) killed in road traffic accidents each year since 1997; and if he will make a statement.

Hazel Blears: holding answer 28 February 2002
	National Health Service costs in Scotland are not known. Information for England is not recorded in the form requested.

Social Services (Lancashire)

David Borrow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many patients are in hospitals in the north-west of England awaiting transfer to residential or nursing care home by social services in Lancashire.

Jacqui Smith: The information is not collected centrally in the form requested.

Surgery (Deaths)

David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the average number of patient deaths occurring within 30 days of surgery was in the last 12 months.

John Hutton: The latest information available on the number of deaths occurring within 30 days of surgery, in England, for the year ending 31 March 2001 was published in February 2002. This information has been placed in the Library and can be found on www.doh.gov.uk/nhsperformanceindicators/index.htm.

Hospital Readmissions

David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the average number of patients re-admitted to hospital as emergency cases after being discharged was in the last 12 months.

Jacqui Smith: The information is not collected centrally in the form requested.

Aspirin and Paracetamol

Doug Naysmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what consideration has been given to allowing elderly and infirm people to buy aspirin in larger quantities than currently allowed; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what assessment he has made of the health implications of variations in costs of the new aspirin and paracetamol pack sizes; and if he will make a statement;
	(3)  if he will review the impact of the regulations on aspirin and paracetamol pack sizes on the elderly and infirm; and if he will make a statement.

Jacqui Smith: We introduced pack size restrictions for paracetamol and aspirin in September 1998, because of concerns about the number of deaths and serious morbidity connected with overdosing and the evidence that many patients who intentionally overdose, use products already available in the home.
	The Medicine Controls Agency is monitoring the impact of the pack size measures, by examining a range of data, including hospital admissions, liver transplants and deaths from self-poisoning and will review their effectiveness once sufficient data have been collected. A study by the Centre for Suicide Research at Warneford Hospital in Oxford (reported in the British Medical Journal on 18 May 2001) has reported a fall in the number of deaths from poisoning with paracetamol alone (21 per cent. and a reduction in liver transplants (66 per cent.).
	The elderly and infirm, as all other people with recurrent or long-term needs, can get up to 100 aspirin or paracetamol tablets (in packs of 32) from their pharmacist without a prescription. The restrictions governing "over the counter" sales do not apply to aspirin and paracetamol dispensed against a prescription so larger quantities can be prescribed.

Rheumatoid arthritis

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the side effects of anti-TNF therapies for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis.

Jacqui Smith: I apologise to my hon. Friend for the delay in responding to this question. I refer my hon. Friend to the reply that my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State gave my hon. Friend the Member for Blackpool, North and Fleetwood (Mrs. Humble) on 5 March 2002, Official Report, column 192W.
	The anti-TNF therapies are selective immunosuppressants which inhibit tumour necrosis factor. Two anti-TNF therapies, Enbrel (etanercept) and Remicade (infliximab) have been authorised by the European Commission, and are used to treat highly active rheumatoid arthritis in adults, who have failed to respond to at least two standard disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs.
	As with all new medicines, the manufacturers of anti-TNF therapies were required to conduct extensive clinical trials, the results of which were carefully assessed by European Union regulatory authorities including the Medicine Controls Agency (MCA) before the marketing authorisations were granted. The MCA and its independent body, the CMS, evaluated any adverse effects seen during the clinical trials.
	Since these medicines have been marketed, the MCA has continuously monitored them to detect previously identified adverse effects. Any potential issues are reviewed by the Committee for Proprietary Medicinal Products (CPMP), the European advisory body on medicines safety to ensure that the potential benefits of the medicine outweigh the possible risks. Information regarding adverse effects associated with Remicade was issued to health professionals in February 2001 in the bulletin, Current Problems in Pharmacovigilance.
	The known side-effects of anti-TNF medicines are included in the product information provided to doctors and patients. Based on such information and according to clinical need, these medicines are prescribed under the supervision of specialist clinicians experienced in the diagnosis and treatment of rheumatoid arthritis. Like all medicines, anti-TNF therapies will continue to be monitored by the UK MCA to ensure the risk:benefit balance continues to be favourable.

Rheumatoid arthritis

Brian Cotter: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent assessment has been made by NICE on the provision of anti-TNF therapy for people with severe rheumatoid arthritis.

Jacqui Smith: As announced on 16 November 2000, as part of its work programme the National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE), has been asked to appraise the use of infliximab (Remicade) and etanercept (Enbrel) in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis for adults and etanercept only for juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA). Unless there are appeals, NICE expects to issue its guidance in March 2002 for etanercept for JIA and guidance on the etanercept and infliximab for adults in April.

Midwife Training

Tom Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many midwives are in training in NHS hospitals in the Greater London area.

Yvette Cooper: Information on the number of midwives in training in National Health Service hospitals in the Greater London area is not collected centrally.
	In 2000–01, 187 pre-registration midwifery training places were commissioned by workforce development confederations in the London regional office area. This is an increase of 33 training places since 1999–2000.
	The total number of pre-registration midwifery training places commissioned for England in 2000–01 was 1,098.

NHS Trusts

Helen Southworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what financial arrangements are being made in respect of (a) the NHS trusts dissolved and (b) the new NHS trusts and primary care trusts established in 2001–02.

Alan Milburn: Pursuant to the dissolution of 64 National Health Service trusts on 1 April 2001 and their reconfiguration through the establishment of 29 new NHS trusts, I propose to create originating capital for the new NHS trusts equal to the net assets transferred to them and therefore to remit the outstanding debt of the dissolved trusts.
	A number of primary care trusts were also established during the year. Public Dividend Capital is not required for the establishment of new Primary Care trusts as they are subject to a different financial regime. Net assets transferred from dissolving NHS trusts to Primary Care trusts are reflected in the General Fund of the Primary Care trust.
	These operations involved no overall loss to the Exchequer. Her Majesty's Treasury has today presented a minute to the House giving particulars and circumstances of the proposed remission which it has approved in principle.

Malnutrition

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to his answer of 25 February 2002, Official Report, column 974W, on malnutrition, what plans she has to instigate a single assessment process for malnutrition.

Yvette Cooper: We have no plans to instigate a single assessment process for malnutrition.

Thrombolysis

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has to allow pre-hospital thrombolysis in Herefordshire.

Yvette Cooper: The NHS Plan contained a commitment to improve "call-to-needle" times for administering thrombolytic drugs for treating heart attack victims.
	I am advised that the Hereford and Worcester Ambulance Service National Health Service trust are already meeting targets set for ambulance response times.
	The trust, in collaboration with Herefordshire and Worcestershire health authorities, Hereford Hospitals NHS Trust and Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust, have initiated procedures to train and equip ambulance paramedics to provide thrombolysis safely for appropriate patients.
	I understand that in May 2002 the trust will begin to roll out their 18 month programme to safely administer thrombolytic drugs to heart attack patients to the 14 ambulance stations covered by their ambulances.

Care Homes

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on changes in bed numbers in the care home sector in Herefordshire since 1997.

Jacqui Smith: The table shows the number of places in residential care homes and the number of registered nursing beds in the Hereford and Worcester1 area between 1997 and 2001.
	
		At 31 MarchNumber 
		
			 Year Number of places in residential care homes Number of registered beds in nursing homes2 
		
		
			 19973 5,552 3,383 
			 1998 5,413 3,654 
			 1999 5,543 3,980 
			 2000 5,392 3,526 
			 2001 5,080 3,365 
		
	
	1 Information is presented for the former Local Authority district of Hereford and Worcester to ensure details of residential places given in the table are on consistent boundaries. (At 1 April, 1998 the Unitary authority of Herefordshire and the shire county area of Worcestershire were created).
	2 Registered beds in general and mental nursing homes, hospitals and clinics. Information is presented on nursing beds for the two Health Authorities of Herefordshire and Worcestershire (equating to the former local authority district of Hereford and Worcester).
	3 Information for registered nursing beds for 1997 relates to the period 1 October 1996 to 31 March 1997.
	Source: Department of Health annual returns.

Home Helps

Colin Breed: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many local authority home helps there were in each (a) constituency and (b) health authority in England in each year since 1992; and what the most recent 12 month figures are.

Jacqui Smith: holding answer 28 February 2002
	Information on the number of home helps by parliamentary constituency and by health authority area is not held centrally.

Psychiatric Nurses

Oliver Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many child and adolescent community psychiatric nurses were employed (a) in May 1997 and (b) at the latest date for which figures are available.

Jacqui Smith: holding answer 1 March 2002
	Data collected by the Department do not differentiate between different types of community psychiatric nurses. Workforce information is collected annually on 30 September.
	There has been a 31 per cent. increase in the number of community psychiatric nurses employed in England between 1996 and 2001.

Mental Health (Children)

Oliver Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many children under four years of age have been diagnosed as suffering from depression in the last 12 months.

Jacqui Smith: holding answer 1 March 2002
	The information requested is not collected centrally.

Convalescent Care

Simon Burns: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if a scheme to promote the provision of convalescent and recuperative care in rural bed and breakfast accommodation requires Government approval; and if he will make a statement.

Jacqui Smith: holding answer 5 March 2002
	Currently any establishment intending to provide either nursing or personal care to its resident would have to register under the Registered Homes Act 1984. From April 2002 onwards, all establishments providing personal or nursing care will have to be registered under the Care Standards Act 2000 and will be subject to the relevant national minimum standards. Establishments will be inspected by the National Care Standards Commission.

Mental Illness

Oliver Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many and what proportion of people, broken down by age, were (a) admitted and (b) discharged from hospital in each of the last five years where the main diagnosis was mental illness, but the patients also suffered other illness; and if he will make a statement as to the physical health of those being treated for mental illness.

Jacqui Smith: holding answer 5 March 2002
	The figures show the number of discharges (table 1) and admissions (table 2) to National Health Service hospitals in England, where the main diagnosis was mental illness and a secondary diagnosis was present which was not a mental illness.
	Between 0.0 per cent. and 0.08 per cent. of all discharges and admissions had a main diagnosis of mental illness where a secondary (non mental illness) diagnosis was present.
	NB. Mental Illness = ICD-10: F00-F99.
	
		Table 1: Number of discharges from NHS Hospitals in England, where the main diagnosis was mental illness and a secondary diagnosis was present, finished episodes, by age and year -- 1996–97 to 2000–01
		
			 Age 2000–01 1999–2000 1998–99 1997–98 1996–97 All five years 
		
		
			 0–16 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 17–24 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 25–44 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 45–64 3 12 30 51 31 82 
			 65–74 85 31 129 319 170 489 
			 75–84 130 56 236 643 333 976 
			 85+ 51 34 128 306 197 503 
			  
			 Total 269 133 523 1,319 731 2,050 
		
	
	
		Table 2: Number of admissions to NHS Hospitals in England, where the main diagnosis was mental illness and a secondary diagnosis was present, finished episodes, by age and year -- 1996–97 to 2000–01
		
			 Age 2000–01 1999–2000 1998–99 1997–98 1996–97 All five years 
		
		
			 0–16 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 17–24 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 25–44 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 45–64 3 14 35 50 26 76 
			 65–74 93 54 154 348 129 477 
			 75–84 165 127 334 813 319 1,132 
			 85+ 88 79 194 433 225 658 
			  
			 Total 349 274 717 1,644 699 2,343 
		
	
	Notes:
	Admissions are defined as the first period of in-patient care under one consultant within one healthcare provider. Please note that admissions do not represent the number of in-patients, as a person may have more than one admission within the year.
	Discharge episodes are defined as the last period of in-patient care and ends with death, discharge or transferred to another hospital.
	The main diagnosis is the first seven diagnosis fields in the Hospital Episode Statistics (HES) data set, and provides the main reason why the patient was in hospital.
	Figures are grossed for both coverage and missing/invalid clinical data, except for 2000–01 which is not yet adjusted for shortfalls.
	Source:
	Hospital Episode Statistics (HES), Department of Health.
	The National Service Framework (NSF) for mental health draws attention to the evidence in the national psychiatric morbidity survey of high levels of physical ill health and higher rates of death amongst those with mental health problems compared to the rest of the population. This is confirmed in the more recent Office of National Statistics (ONS) survey of psychiatric morbidity among adults living in private households. Our policy as set out in the NSF is that assessment of people with severe mental illness should include assessment of physical health needs, and the care plan should identify the health and social care required to be provided under the care programme approach.

Teenage Pregnancies

Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many (a) conceptions, (b) maternities and (c) abortions were recorded among girls of each year of age under 16 in each health region in each year since 1989.

Ruth Kelly: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician. I have asked him to reply.
	Letter from Karen Dunnell to Mr. Andrew Turner, dated 8 March 2002
	The National Statistician has been asked to reply to your recent question asking how many (a) conceptions, (b) maternities and (c) abortions were recorded among girls of each year of age under 16 in each health region in each year since 1989. I am replying in his absence. (28209)
	The available figures based on health regions using boundaries as at 1 April 2001 are for the years 1992–2000. These are shown in the attached table. Figures for years before 1992 are only available for the old regional health authority areas prevailing at the time and would not be comparable with 2001 health regions. For consistency, the figures are all presented using age at conception for girls conceiving under age 16.
	
		Conceptions under 16 by outcome and age for health regions 1992–2000
		
			  Number of conceptions Number of conceptions leading to maternity Number at conceptions leading to abortion  
			  Age at conception Under 141415 Age at conception Under 141415 Age at conception Under 141415 
		
		
			 Year of conception and health region*  
			 1992 
			 Northern & Yorkshire 53 236 796 25 113 472 28 123 324 
			 Trent 46 187 659 14 86 364 32 101 295 
			 West Midlands 51 199 674 19 93 356 32 106 318 
			 North West 41 248 765 22 120 465 19 128 300 
			 Eastern 26 139 406 10 52 182 16 87 224 
			 London 48 225 594 19 104 291 29 121 303 
			 South East 45 186 647 19 64 334 26 122 313 
			 South West 32 115 329 11 50 169 21 65 160 
			 Wales 21 97 352 8 48 197 13 49 155 
			 1993 
			 Northern & Yorkshire 57 275 780 20 103 442 37 172 338 
			 Trent 42 225 606 18 95 328 24 130 278 
			 West Midlands 45 228 644 24 119 369 21 109 275 
			 North West 55 261 786 23 128 447 32 133 339 
			 Eastern 25 161 377 10 64 180 15 97 197 
			 London 54 200 613 26 89 293 28 111 320 
			 South East 41 191 634 19 69 281 22 122 353 
			 South West 28 128 346 15 44 170 13 84 176 
			 Wales 21 105 339 10 50 207 11 55 132 
			 1994 
			 Northern & Yorkshire 69 303 837 27 150 485 42 153 352 
			 Trent 48 235 624 23 97 345 25 138 279 
			 West Midlands 50 247 733 25 100 405 25 147 328 
			 North West 62 264 800 24 118 462 38 146 338 
			 Eastern 21 146 409 8 56 197 13 90 212 
			 London 66 243 656 28 90 299 38 153 357 
			 South East 35 243 647 16 84 324 19 159 323 
			 South West 23 133 396 8 51 177 15 82 219 
			 Wales 23 124 358 8 58 210 15 66 148 
			 1995 
			 Northern & Yorkshire 53 271 923 19 135 559 34 136 364 
			 Trent 35 214 673 10 113 413 25 101 260 
			 West Midlands 48 239 711 25 125 413 23 114 298 
			 North West 47 235 821 17 114 463 30 121 358 
			 Eastern 36 130 442 10 52 214 26 78 228 
			 London 74 232 713 30 101 338 44 131 375 
			 South East 39 238 729 16 102 351 23 136 378 
			 South West 25 133 423 10 56 202 15 77 221 
			 Wales 25 142 400 13 80 237 12 62 163 
			 1996 
			 Northern & Yorkshire 60 317 887 32 152 503 28 165 384 
			 Trent 58 210 790 19 88 463 39 122 327 
			 West Midlands 57 225 821 22 99 427 35 126 394 
			 North West 54 256 921 21 123 525 33 133 396 
			 Eastern 25 137 485 11 51 258 14 86 227 
			 London 71 278 823 35 105 369 36 173 454 
			 South East 57 225 810 25 75 417 32 150 393 
			 South West 39 160 447 13 68 237 26 92 210 
			 Wales 30 153 461 14 77 269 16 76 192 
			 1997 
			 Northern & Yorkshire 57 309 907 28 137 535 29 172 372 
			 Trent 34 217 647 15 117 343 19 100 304 
			 West Midlands 52 239 721 22 96 360 30 143 361 
			 North West 45 245 781 19 111 424 26 134 357 
			 Eastern 25 149 457 9 57 238 16 92 219 
			 London 57 285 799 20 115 366 37 170 433 
			 South East 47 262 774 19 111 407 28 151 367 
			 South West 34 142 422 15 64 218 19 78 204 
			 Wales 14 116 434 2 58 258 12 58 176 
			 1998 
			 Northern & Yorkshire 63 301 856 26 134 461 37 167 395 
			 Trent 56 241 672 26 108 358 30 133 314 
			 West Midlands 56 227 752 18 87 368 38 140 384 
			 North West 39 263 826 21 108 439 18 155 387 
			 Eastern 28 156 451 13 57 223 15 99 228 
			 London 64 280 808 25 110 351 39 170 457 
			 South East 54 236 773 17 98 362 37 138 411 
			 South West 35 144 474 10 53 228 25 91 246 
			 Wales 28 140 429 14 66 242 14 74 187 
			 1999 
			 Northern & Yorkshire 53 260 806 23 132 403 30 128 403 
			 Trent 39 204 623 14 89 311 25 115 312 
			 West Midlands 49 206 635 22 86 339 27 120 296 
			 North West 50 258 826 21 106 437 29 152 389 
			 Eastern 27 145 455 11 58 209 16 87 246 
			 London 71 257 730 31 99 325 40 158 405 
			 South East 63 256 737 28 98 337 35 158 400 
			 South West 28 161 469 10 59 232 18 102 237 
			 Wales 26 119 392 14 58 210 12 61 182 
			 2000 
			 Northern & Yorkshire 43 250 805 18 119 408 25 131 397 
			 Trent 40 181 590 18 75 310 22 106 280 
			 West Midlands 49 234 709 21 104 342 28 130 367 
			 North West 38 229 840 21 98 430 17 131 410 
			 Eastern 30 153 430 11 63 185 19 90 245 
			 London 87 303 856 24 105 340 63 198 516 
			 South East 47 268 792 22 113 348 25 155 444 
			 South West 40 153 450 16 59 215 24 94 235 
			 Wales 21 119 354 10 54 200 11 65 154 
		
	
	* Boundaries as at 1 April 2001
	Source: Office for National Statistics
	Background note:
	1. Boundaries are for health regions as defined at 1 April 2001. This is a consequence of the absence of postcode on the electronic records for abortions prior to 1992.
	2. The wording of the question is ambiguous in that year of age could relate either to the age at which events occurred or to conceptions at each age leading to an abortion or a maternity. For consistency, we have chosen the latter interpretation since it provides the two components of conceptions at each age.
	3. To prevent disclosure and preserve the confidentiality of individuals figures for under 14 have not been disaggregated.
	4. This question was originally asked of the Secretary of State for Health on 15 January 2002 The Department of Health transferred it to ONS on 1 March 2002.
	5. Numbers of conceptions are estimated from registrations of births and notifications of abortions. Miscarriages before the 24th week of gestation are not included.

EDUCATION AND SKILLS

Standard Spending Assessment

Anne Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if she will give the total standard spending assessment per pupil, and the total over or under spend per pupil, broken down by local education authority for England and Wales for each year from 1990–91 to 2000–01, for 2001–02 to date, and projected for the financial year 2002–03, adjusted for inflation at current values.

Stephen Timms: The information requested is not collected in the form requested. Because of the long time series involved, it is only possible to provide an analysis for education overall. A table containing information showing Local Education Authorities' Standard spending Assessments (SSA) and Outturn at 2001 prices for England has been placed in the Library. My right hon. Friend is not responsible for expenditure in Wales. We do not yet have information on spending in 2001–02, or projected for 2002–03.

Individual Learning Account

Alistair Burt: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills 
	(1)  whether the database held by Capita of individual learning account holders has been made available to her Department to assist in investigations into fraud and abuse of the individual learning account scheme; and if she will make a statement;
	(2)  whether Capita has been able to comply with all her Department's requests for information concerning individual learning account holders since 23 November; and if she will make a statement.

John Healey: Capita have complied with all of the Department's requests for information about Individual Learning Account holders and have been working closely with the Department to assist investigations into potential fraud and abuse of the Individual Learning Account programme.
	Capita provided four copies of the ILA Centre database; one has been passed to the police and three copies have been retained by my Department.

Individual Learning Account

Alistair Burt: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what information concerning individual learning account holders is stored by Capita; and in what form.

John Healey: The Individual Learning Account Centre, which is managed by Capita, stores information provided by Individual Learning account holders on the Individual Leaning Account Application Form. This information is stored both electronically and as a hard copy. The information held is as follows:
	name and address;
	details on previous learning accounts;
	a declaration on personal eligibility (British citizen or UK National, EU or EAA national, employed or self employed and paying UK taxes, not in employment);
	date of birth;
	**other personal information (gender, employment status, occupation code, registered disabled, ethnic origin, telephone number, e-mail address);
	**if in forces Service Number and if member of ELC Scheme;
	**additional information (attending full time education, if so where, other funding for learning, previous highest qualification, target groups—member of school support staff or returning to work, how applicant heard about ILAs).
	Providing information for items marked ** was not compulsory and therefore is not held for all ILA holders.
	In addition information is held electronically on learning episodes undertaken by ILA holders. This covers: registered learning provider number, course identifier, course name, course start date, course cost and payment claimed.

Individual Learning Account

Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the non-fraudulent abuses of the Individual Learning Account scheme have been; and if she will issue guidance on methods of selling in any successor scheme.

John Healey: holding answer 5 March 2002
	Recorded complaints received in respect of non-compliance with the rules of the programme included aggressive marketing, poor value for money, unsolicited learning materials sent to learners, improper use of the ILA and DfES logos and offers of free training to which individuals were not required to contribute.
	There will be a replacement ILA-style scheme building on the strengths of the ILA and taking into account lessons learned from the ILA investigations, and the findings of the current stakeholder consultation exercise due in early April. We will announce our plans for the successor scheme in due course.

Individual Learning Account

Stephen Hepburn: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills 
	(1)  what the Government are doing to help those students who started individual learning account courses and could not complete the course because of the decision to suspend ILAs;
	(2)  how many students could not complete their courses because of the Government's decision to suspend the individual learning account in (a) the UK, (b) the north-east, (c) south Tyneside and (d) the Jarrow constituency.

John Healey: The Individual Learning Account programme was closed down completely on 23 November 2001. The Department has taken steps to ensure all bookings of eligible learning are honoured. The Department has put in place validation arrangements to process payments for claims already in the system when it was closed down and for submitting claims for learning booked, but unconfirmed on the system at its closure on 23 November. All learners who started ILA supported learning will, subject to validation checks, benefit from a discount.
	It was not mandatory for a learner to complete their ILA supported course to b able to benefit from a discount. Therefore, the ILA Centre was not required to hold information on course completion.

Matriculation Diploma

Graham Brady: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what assessment she has made of the implications for social inclusion of the introduction of a matriculation diploma.

Ivan Lewis: holding answer 7 March 2002
	The Green Paper, 14–19: extending opportunities, raising standards sets out the proposal for an overarching award—the Matriculation Diploma. A key aim for the Diploma is that it should provide a clear goal for all young people. It should motivate a greater proportion to remain in education and training until 19 and so contribute to social inclusion. Our proposal for an Intermediate Diploma should be within the reach of the majority of young people, and we suggest too that we should recognise the progress of those who make a sustained effort but do not reach the threshold for the Intermediate Diploma by awarding them with a record of progress setting out their achievements. Our proposals for guidance and support for young people during the 14–19 phase should make an important contribution to the inclusion of those most at risk.

Standards (Key Stage 3)

Shaun Woodward: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what assessment she has made of OFSTED's recent report on the first year of the key stage 3 pilot programme to improve educational standards for 11 to 14-year-olds.

Stephen Timms: OFSTED's report on the pilot strongly supported our decision to introduce the strategy to raise standards for all 11–14-year-olds. The report confirmed that the pilot had begun well, and that there was still much more to be done. The roll out of the national strategy has benefited from the OFSTED conclusions. It has started well in secondary schools throughout the country.

School Governors

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what plans she has to give school governors the power to remove a fellow governor for (a) unruly behaviour and (b) behaviour likely to bring the school into disrepute.

Stephen Timms: Existing regulations allow for the removal of appointed governors by their appointing authority, but there is no provision for the removal of elected governors as they hold a mandate from their electorate. We have no immediate plans to extend the current removal powers, but we will be consulting on new regulations later in the year, and inviting representations on how current provisions can be improved.

Science/Engineering Students

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if she will make a statement on the impact on the number and standard of students entering further education to study science and engineering of (a) GCSE combined science courses, (b) GCSE and A level design and technology, (c) modular science A levels and (d) GNVQs, since their inception.

John Healey: holding answer 4 March 2002
	The information requested is not available.
	Data on student numbers in FE are collected via the Individualised Student Record (ISR).The information collected on the ISR is not readily available by specific course subjects required in the PQ. Further, because there are a significant number of students categorised as "other" we cannot accurately detect changes from one year to the next.
	However, we can provide the number of enrolments in science and engineering courses in FE sector colleges, as follows:
	
		
			  1997–98 1998–99 1999–2000 
		
		
			 Science 890,713 1,035,441 1,207,863 
			 Engineering 369,998 342,785 309,327 
		
	
	The Science breakdown above includes mathematics and computing courses. The increase in Science courses is mainly due to IT related courses.
	The ISR does not collect detailed information about prior attainment.

Citizenship Studies

Graham Brady: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if she will issue guidance to schools to include the Queen's golden jubilee in studies of citizenship during the (a) current and (b) next academic year.

Ivan Lewis: holding answer 1 March 2002
	Understanding the institutions that underpin our system of government is an important part of citizenship which becomes part of the statutory National Curriculum for 11–16 year olds in September 2002. Pupils will learn about the Monarchy and the role of the Queen as the head of State. Detailed guidance has been sent to all schools to support citizenship. Citizenship is flexible to allow teachers to decide the content of lessons, which can include discussions of the Queen's Golden Jubilee.
	The DfES supports the Spirit of Friendship festival which is a series of events aimed at celebrating, and increasing understanding of, the Commonwealth Games and the Queen's Golden Jubilee. The festival will take place in June and July.

Classroom Assistants

Archy Kirkwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what steps she (a) has taken and (b) intends to take to encourage local authorities to pay classroom assistants all year round.

Stephen Timms: Terms and conditions of employment of school support staff including teaching assistants are matters for local authorities and schools to determine. The National Joint Council for Local Government Services has established a working group to look at matters relating to the pay structure of school support staff and intends to issue further guidance.

Circulars

Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if she will list the circular documents that have been sent by her Department to (a) primary schools and (b) secondary schools since 7 June 2001; and how many pages each document contained.

Stephen Timms: We have sent 85 documents to all primary schools in this period. The full list of titles and page numbers is contained in the following table.
	
		Mailings to primary schools, 7 June 2001 to end February 2002
		
			 Date  No. 
		
		
			 Jun 01 Letter from Estelle Morris 2 
			  SEN Update 7 6 
			  Spectrum 43 8 
			 Jul 01 Factual leaflet for all teachers on pay 8 
			  Final decisions on changes schools will make on performance tables returns in 2001 3 
			  New deal for schools. NDS devolved formula capital 6 
			  School Teachers Pay and Conditions of Employment 2001 36 
			  Teachers magazine—Spectrum 44 10 
			  Letter about delay in SEN Code 2 
			 Sep 01 Data collection timetable for schools 2 
			  Guidance on Continuing Professional Development to CPD co-ordinators in schools 15 
			  ICT in the Literacy hour (leaflet and CD ROM) 6 
			  Preparation for the Annual School Census 2002 2 
			  Revised guidance on school teachers pay and conditions 2001 36 
			  School Performance tables: contextual, background and KS2 data for checking (outside batch—average page nos.) 19 
			  School Teachers Pay and Conditions Document 2001 115 
			  Schools Achieving Success 74 
			  Schools Achieving Success—summary white paper 24 
			  September 2001 class size count (infant) 3 
			  Special Grant claim forms (via LEA) 10 
			  Spectrum 19 
			  The National Literacy Strategy—Teaching writing: Fiction and non-fiction 41 
			  The way forward—A modernised framework for School governance 32 
			  Threshold + Performance Management planner 4 
			 Oct 01 After the events of 11 September 1 
			  ELS Book—Early Literacy Support Programme: materials for teachers working in partnership with teaching assistants 158 
			  Golden Jubilee Poetry Competition 2002 9 
			  Key Stage 1—The Autumn Package 2001—Pupil Performance Information and Interactive Autumn Package 2001, Version 2.0 35 
			  Key Stage 2—The Autumn Package 2001—Pupil Performance Information and Interactive Autumn Package 2001, Version 2.0 36 
			  School Achievement Award Scheme 4 
			  Schools: achieving success—Discussion Pack 1 
			  Spectrum 46 12 
			  Teachers magazine 20 
			  Welcome back bonuses for returners to teaching—Guidance for schools and LEAs NEW 41 
			  2001 School and College Performance Tables—how to get tables 1 
			 Nov 01 Admission Appeals for Maintained Primary and Secondary Schools in England 1999–2000 3 
			  Advanced Skills Teachers—Poster one 1 
			  Fast track flyer—how to get more information about the fast track NEW 1 
			  Information about a consultation on the overarching strategy for young people NEW 1 
			  Introducing Consistent Financial reporting 30 
			  School Finance Pack—Advance notification 1 
			  SEN Update 6 
			  Spectrum 8 
			  Threshold certificates data checking NEW 5 
			 Dec 01 Annual School Census 2002 21 
			  Early Years Headcount 3 
			  Inclusive schooling for pupils with Special Educational Needs NEW 32 
			  SEN Code of Practice 210 
			  The SEN Toolkit 224 
			  Internet safety 1 
			  Health and Safety: Responsibilities and powers 5 
			  National Numeracy Strategy: Springboard 6 Lessons for use in booster classes 64 
			  Education Bill 2001 10 
			  Spectrum 6 
			  Teacher certificates for threshold awards 1 
			 Jan 02 Helping children achieve throughout Year 6—English and mathematics  
			  Key Stage 1 and 2—schemes of work for citizenship 200 
			  New Year letter from Secretary of State 2 
			  Spectrum 8 
			  Teacher magazine 20 
			 Feb 02 Commonwealth Day message from the Queen—Celebrating Diversity 3 
			  Spectrum 8 
			  Springboard 6: Lessons for use in booster classes (second part) 72 
			  Teachers Pay 2002–03 8 
			   
			 Total  1,755 
		
	
	
		Mailings to secondary schools, 7 June 2001 to end February 2002
		
			 Date  No. 
		
		
			 Jun 01 Letter from Estelle Morris 2 
			  Order form for Which Way Now? 2001, Teacher's Notes for It's Your Choice (for Year 10 and/or 11 cohort), Teacher's Notes for It's Your Choice, Which Way Now? 2 
			  SEN Update 7 6 
			  Spectrum 43 8 
			 Jul 01 Factual leaflet for all teachers on pay 8 
			  Final decisions on changes schools will make on performance tables returns in 2001 NEW 3 
			  New deal for schools. NDS devolved formula capital 6 
			  School Teachers' Pay and Conditions of Employment 2001 36 
			  Spectrum 44 10 
			  Letter about delay in SEN Code 2 
			 Sep 01 Data collection timetable for schools 2 
			  Guidance on Continuing Professional Development to CPD co-ordinators in schools NEW 15 
			  Introduction to the Student Apprenticeship scheme 20 
			  Preparation for the Annual School Census 2002 NEW 4 
			  Revised guidance on school teachers' pay and conditions 2001 36 
			  School and College Performance tables: Examination results data checking collection (outside batch—average page nos.) 25 
			  School Teachers' Pay and Conditions Document 2001 115 
			  Schools Achieving Success NEW 74 
			  Schools Achieving Success—summary white paper 24 
			  September Pupil Count 2001 (via LEA) 5 
			  Special Grant claim forms (via LEA) 10 
			  Spectrum 19 
			  Target Setting at Key Stage 4 (KS4) NEW 3 
			  The way forward—A modernised framework for School governance NEW 32 
			  Threshold + Performance Management planner 4 
			 Oct 01 After the events of 11 September 1 
			  Key Stage 3—The Autumn Package 2001—Pupil Performance Information and Interactive Autumn Package 2001, Version 2.0 36 
			  School Achievement Award Scheme 4 
			  Schools: achieving success—Discussion Pack NEW 1 
			  Golden Jubilee Poetry Competition 2002 NEW 9 
			  Spectrum 46 6 
			  Welcome back bonuses for returners to teaching—Guidance for schools and LEAs NEW 41 
			 Nov 01 Advanced Skills Teachers—Poster one 1 
			  Aim Higher. Information to encourage disadvantaged young people into HE 1 
			  Fast tracker flyer—Headteachers are you interested in recruiting a teacher who . . . 1 
			  Information about Building a Strategy for Children and Young People 1 
			  Introducing Consistent Financial reporting NEW 30 
			  Key Stage 4—The Autumn Package 2001—Pupil Performance Information and Interactive Autumn Package 2001, Version 2.0 65 
			  New GCSEs in vocational subjects 2 
			  School and College Performance tables—Letter about PIN to access pre-publication performance tables 1 
			  Consistent Financial Reporting—Advance notification 5 
			  Special Educational Needs Update 6 
			  Spectrum  
			  Threshold certificates data checking 5 
			 Dec 01 Annual School Census 2002 18 
			  Autumn Exclusions data collection 2002 1 
			  SEN Code of Practice NEW 210 
			  Inclusive schooling for pupils with Special Educational Needs NEW 32 
			  The SEN Toolkit NEW 224 
			  Internet safety NEW 1 
			  Health and Safety: Responsibilities and powers NEW 5 
			  Education Bill 2001 NEW 10 
			  Spectrum 8 
			  Teacher certificates for threshold awards NEW 1 
			 Jan 02 Spectrum 8 
			  Working with Connexions NEW 8 
			  New Year letter from Secretary of State 2 
			 Feb 02 Consultation paper—14–19: Extending opportunities, raising standards NEW 87 
			  Poster—14–19: Extending opportunities, raising standards  
			  Response form—14–19: Extending opportunities, raising standards 20 
			  Summary—14–19: Extending opportunities, raising standards 18 
			  Commonwealth Day message from the Queen—Celebrating Diversity 3 
			  Spectrum 8 
			  Student support 2002–03 4 
			   
			 Total  1,355

Training and Enterprise Councils

Paul Holmes: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if she will list the cases of (a) suspected fraud and (b) misuse of public funds notified to her Department involving training and enterprise councils, and in each case the sums involved, for each financial year up to 31 March 2001; which ones have been the subject of investigation by her Department; how many cases have been referred by her Department to the police; how many of the investigations (i) have been terminated, and for each of those cases the grounds on which that decision was taken, (ii) have resulted in a criminal prosecution and (iii) continue, and what sums have been recovered as a result; what controls were put in place for training and enterprise councils to minimise the possibility of fraud and misuse of public funds; what lessons her Department drew from the cases; and how these were applied in relation to individual learning accounts.

John Healey: Training and Enterprise Councils (TECs) were required to notify Government Offices (GOs) of instances of suspected fraud or financial irregularity in accordance with their contracts with the Department. Details of cases notified to the Department are as follows:
	
		
			  Number of Cases Notified Number of Cases Investigated by DfES Number of Cases Referred to the Police Number of Cases Terminated Number of Cases Still Ongoing 
		
		
			 1994–95 3 3 1 1 — 
			 1995–96 41 41 10 40 1 
			 1996–97 24 24 9 24 — 
			 1997–98 44 44 14 44 — 
			 1998–99 35 35 10 35 — 
			 1999–2000 20 20 9 18 2 
			 2000–01 15 15 2 9 6 
			  
			 Total 182 182 55 173 9 
		
	
	The reasons for terminating cases are shown in the following table:
	
		
			  Reason For Closure 
			  Number of Cases Terminated Criminal Prosecution Malpractice No Evidence to Substantiate Poor Administration 
		
		
			 1994–95 3 1 — 2 — 
			 1995–96 40 — 13 19 8 
			 1996–97 24 1 11 4 8 
			 1997–98 44 1 25 8 10 
			 1998–99 35 — 22 2 11 
			 1999–2000 18 1 12 1 4 
			 2000–01 9 — 4 5 — 
			  
			 Total 173 4 87 41 41 
		
	
	In total, the amount involved and identified as recoverable was £18,167,000. The amounts identified as recoverable from TECs were notified to GOs in order to initiate recovery action. Details of actual recoveries are not held centrally.
	The Department's financial control mechanisms applied to TECs developed and improved, drawing on the experience gained from managing the contracts with TECs and lessons learned from investigating cases of fraud and misuse of public funds. Key elements of the controls were:
	(a) A detailed legal contract for the provision of the public funds, legally binding. The contract and supporting material reflected input from specialist professional financial control staff, spelling out the specifics of what was being paid for, evidence requirements and other specific conditions on the provider. It was a requirement on TECs to notify the Secretary of State immediately if it had reason to suspect that a fraud had or was occurring;
	(b) Legal contractual remedies that could be followed quickly if any of the contractual conditions were not met;
	(c) Visits from Government Office Financial Assurance and Management Teams to TECs and providers to ensure that public sector standards of regularity and propriety were maintained and that public funds were properly spent, well managed and safeguarded;
	(d) A specialist national Financial Assurance Unit consisting of a mix of professional field audit, accounting and software database staff, working with Government Office financial control field teams, performing regular contract audit monitoring visits to the 72–75 TECs and their 5,000+ providers and supporting NAO visits as required;
	(e) A Special Investigations Unit (SIU) based in the Department with a national remit to investigate serious cases of fraud; and
	(f) Quarterly reports to the Departmental Audit Committee on emerging or serious issues so that timely decisions could be taken on financial control risk management and on early preventative action.
	The Department drew a range of lessons from the TEC experiences applicable in relation to Individual Learning Accounts (ILAs) and other Departmental business, including for example: retaining expertise in the DfES Special Investigations Unit. The SIU was involved in investigations of alleged ILA fraud and abuse at the earliest opportunity working closely with ILA policy team. They are currently involved in investigations into the activities of 97 ILA learning providers.

Computers

Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills 
	(1)  if she will make it her policy to turn the Computers Within Reach pilot scheme into a permanent scheme;
	(2)  how many people were provided with recycled computers under the pilot Computers Within Reach Scheme; and how many people applied unsuccessfully.

John Healey: The Computers Within Reach pilot scheme closed on 31 October 2001, having delivered over 24,000 computers into 22 pilot areas. We are currently evaluating the scheme and considering options for the bet way of using the remaining funding available.
	Information on the number of unsuccessful applications could only be supplied at disproportionate cost.

Pupil:Teacher Ratios

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the ratio of teachers to pupils was in (a) all schools, (b) primary schools and (c) secondary schools for each year since 1996 in (i) East Sussex Local Education Authority, (ii) the South-East region and (iii) England.

Stephen Timms: The available information is shown in the table:
	
		Pupil:teacher ratios in schools -- Position in January each year
		
			  East Sussex Local Education Authority1 Brighton and Hove Local Education Authority  
			  Primary schools Secondary schools All schools Primary schools Secondary schools All schools 
		
		
			 2001 22.7 17.1 16.6 21.6 16.5 15.4 
			 2000 22.4 17.1 16.5 22.6 16.5 16.1 
			 1999 23.8 16.9 17.0 23.4 16.4 16.5 
			 1998 23.3 16.6 16.8 23.3 16.3 16.5 
			 1997 22.8 16.2 16.5 — — — 
			 1996 22.7 16.0 16.3 — — — 
		
	
	Source: Annual Schools' Census
	— Not applicable.
	1 Data for 1996 and 1997 include Brighton and Hove LEA.
	In April 1997 East Sussex Local Education Authority was subject to Local Government Re-organisation and was split into Brighton and Hove Local Education Authority and East Sussex Local Education Authority.
	
		
			  South East Region England 
			  Primary schools Secondary schools All schools Primary schools Secondary schools All schools 
		
		
			 2001 22.9 17.4 17.2 22.9 17.1 18.1 
			 2000 23.2 17.3 17.3 23.3 17.2 18.3 
			 1999 23.6 17.1 17.5 23.5 17.0 18.4 
			 1998 23.6 16.9 17.4 23.7 16.9 18.5 
			 1997 23.2 16.7 17.3 23.4 16.7 18.3 
			 1996 — — — 23.2 16.6 18.2 
		
	
	Source: Annual Schools' Census
	— Not applicable
	In 1997 Government Office Region definitions altered and data for previous years are therefore not comparable.

Class Sizes (Lincolnshire)

Shona McIsaac: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many (a) five, (b) six and (c) seven-year-olds in North East Lincolnshire and North Lincolnshire were in class sizes over 30 in each year from 1990 to 2001.

Stephen Timms: The available information is shown in the table.
	
		Number of classes with 31 or more Key Stage 1 pupils and the number of pupils in such classes in Maintained Primary Schools in North East Lincolnshire and North Lincolnshire Local Education Authorities -- Position in January each year
		
			  North East Lincolnshire ClassesPupils North Lincolnshire ClassesPupils 
		
		
			 1997 71 2,393 53 1,738 
			 1998 73 2,467 66 2,229 
			 1999 53 1,767 0 0 
			 2000 20 633 0 0 
			 2001 3 98 0 0 
		
	
	Source: Annual Schools' Census
	Prior to 1997 North East Lincolnshire and North Lincolnshire were part of Humberside Local Education Authority which was subject to Local Government Re-organisation in April 1996.
	Information on Key Stage 1 classes and pupils was not collected prior to 1996.

SOLICITOR-GENERAL

Crown Prosecution Service

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Solicitor-General if the recommendation advanced in the review of the Crown Prosecution Service, Cm 3960, concerning the agreement of statistics, has been achieved.

Harriet Harman: holding answer 14 February 2002
	As an interim measure, the Research, Development and Statistics Directorate of the Home Office undertook the publication of the Criminal Justice Business Quarterly Report, bringing together the best available data from existing sources and presenting figures in a revised format agreed by representatives of the Home Office, Lord Chancellor's Department, and Crown Prosecution Service.
	The Criminal Justice Joint Planning Unit is taking the lead in developing and testing joint or shared performance measures. This involves examining the current matrix of agency performance measures and targets and making recommendations as to which need amendment and where new inter-agency measures are required. The aim is to develop a cohesive set of indicators on criminal justice system priorities while meeting the needs of individual agencies and services.
	Linked to this, the Unit is also developing, with local practitioners, the business requirement for a shared management information system for the criminal justice system. A number of areas, including Merseyside, Northumbria and West Yorkshire, already have access to a web-based management information system that contains performance information from each of the main agencies. The system will be further developed over the coming months both in terms of its technical specification and, more importantly, its content.
	None of the above resolves the long-standing problem of incompatibility in agency definitions and counting protocols. However, this issue is being addressed by an independent consultant, guided by a small inter-departmental steering group. This project—The Review of Statistics on Administration of Criminal Justice—is due to report later this year, and is expected to result in recommendations about both short and long-term improvements in the integrity and availability of our information, including common definitions. Whatever recommendations emerge, further progress will involve agreement between the various agencies to ensure that individual business needs continue to be served.

Crown Prosecution Service

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Solicitor-General what actions have been taken in response to the observations in Cm 3960, Summary of the report, paragraph 24, concerning performance indicators for timeliness, the magistrates' courts and the CPS.

Harriet Harman: holding answer 14 February 2002
	The Government have accepted the need for whole systems targets. Reducing unnecessary delay in the criminal justice system has always been a priority for the Government. The importance of this, and a key achievement to date, is illustrated by cases involving persistent young offenders, in respect of which the Government set a target to halve the time that it took to process persistent young offenders from arrest to sentence from 142 days in 1996 to 71 days, a target systematically met over the summer of last year.
	The criminal justice departments have continued to work together to identify and agree further timeliness targets. An announcement will be made once the new timeliness targets have been agreed.

ENVIRONMENT FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS

Correspondence

Patrick McLoughlin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when she will reply to the letter of the hon. Member for West Derbyshire dated 4 July concerning Mr. and Mrs. Don Holland of Chelmorton, Derbyshire.

Elliot Morley: A reply was sent on 10 December to the hon. Member.

Correspondence

Patrick McLoughlin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when she will reply to the letters from the hon. Member for West Derbyshire of 3 September and 4 October concerning milk containers and recycling.

Elliot Morley: A reply was sent on 6 February to the hon. Member.

Correspondence

Jonathan Djanogly: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when she will reply to the hon. Member for Huntingdon's letter of 5 July on behalf of his constituent, Mrs. June Allen.

Elliot Morley: holding answer 26 November 2001
	A reply was sent on 13 February to the hon. Member.

Correspondence

Alan Reid: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when she will reply to the letter from the hon. Member for Argyll and Bute to the Chancellor of the Exchequer on sheep annual premiums, dated 29 October 2001, which was transferred to her Department.

Elliot Morley: holding answer 28 January 2002
	A reply was sent on 6 February to the hon. Member.

Correspondence

Christopher Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when she will reply to the letter of 23 October from the hon. Member for Christchurch to the Under-Secretary of State on the use of refrigerants in Government departments.

Elliot Morley: holding answer 5 February 2002
	A reply was sent on 24 February to the hon. Member.

Correspondence

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State or Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when she will answer the letter to her of 26 November 2001, from the hon. Member for the Vale of York, on the statement in the House on 12 November on the number of farmers who opposed the contiguous culls in Thirsk during the foot and mouth epidemic.

Elliot Morley: A reply was sent on 21 January to the hon. Member.

Correspondence

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when she will reply to the letters dated 10 December 2001 and 11 January from the hon. Member for Leominster on the Agricultural Land Tribunal.

Elliot Morley: holding answer 28 February 2002
	A reply was sent on 26 February to the hon. Member.

Domestic Game Industry

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment she has made of the environmental impact of the domestic game industry; and if she will make a statement.

Michael Meacher: holding answer 29 January 2002
	The White Paper "Our countryside: the future" published in November 2000 set out the Government's view that activities related to game shooting have a far-reaching influence on landscapes, habitats and wildlife. This statement acknowledged that these activities can have a positive impact on the environment, for example by encouraging biodiversity through the conservation of particular habitats. The Government recognise at the same time the need to ensure that any relevant controls, for example prohibiting illegal methods of gamekeeping, are properly enforced.
	This was one of the considerations which led to the setting-up of a working group, in 1995, to review the conflict issues surrounding raptors, their final report was published in March 2000. Illegal persecution was examined. Investigations showed that from 1990 to 1997, there were 720 confirmed incidents of illegal killing of raptors reported to the Agriculture Departments or RSPB, involving a minimum of 834 birds.
	Many of the report recommendations involve measures to mitigate against the persecution of raptors such as:
	promotion of legal methods of pest control;
	monitoring of vulnerable species to assess levels of persecution;
	acceptable alternative moorland management practices.
	There is also research currently underway by BASC to assess; the level of predation by raptors at pheasant poult release sites; and, habitat manipulation measures. The results are due shortly.
	We also strongly encourage the application of good environmental and husbandry practice, for example by observance of the Codes of Good Agricultural Practice, for operations such as game farming whether or not in particular cases they fall within the legal definition of agriculture. This will be beneficial for example in maintaining ground cover and shelter areas which encourage wildlife and reduce risks of crop damage and soil erosion.
	We are aware of suggestions that this subject could form part of the Department's future programme of Horizon Scanning research, information on which is available at www.defra.gov.uk/horizonscanning. This will be considered together with other suggestions made in the current consultations on the programme.

Water Meters

John Randall: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many water meters were installed in domestic properties in the London borough of Hillingdon in each of the last five years.

Michael Meacher: Each water company reports to the Office of Water Services the number of meters that it fits, but there is no requirement for a more detailed breakdown of where they are fitted within the company's area. Water company areas do not correspond to local authority boundaries. The Hillingdon local authority areas is only a small part within the area of Three Valleys Water. The number of households with meters in the entire area of Three Valleys Water in 2001–02 is about 205,000.

Departmental Policies (Bristol, East)

Jean Corston: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will set out, with statistical information relating as directly as possible to the Bristol East constituency, the effects on Bristol of her Department's policies and actions (a) from 5 May 1994 to 2 May 1997, (b) from 2 May 1997 to 7 May 1998, and (c) since 7 May 1998.

Elliot Morley: I refer to my hon. Friend to the reply given to her by the Minister of State, Cabinet Office on 4 March 2002, Official Report, column 80W. As this Department was created in June 2001, the historical information requested is not readily available and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

Working Conditions and Practices

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment has been made of the effect of the Working Time Directive on her Department's employees; how many employees are working in excess of 48 hours per week; what steps she is taking to reduce this number; and if she will make a statement.

Elliot Morley: The European Working Time Directive was incorporated into UK law by the Working Time Regulations 1998.
	This Department takes the work/life balance seriously and is taking a number of steps to raise awareness. As a general rule staff in core-DEFRA will not be asked to work more than 48 hours per week. Agreements to disapply the 48 hour limit are entered into only very exceptionally and after thorough examination of the working arrangements of the staff involved. Prior to an expected increase during the Foot and Mouth crisis only about 30 staff had agreed to disapply the 48 hour limit and a number of these related to junior staff with second jobs.
	The Pesticides Safety Directorate, the Rural Payments Agency and the Veterinary Medicines Directorate are covered by the Departmental response. RPA currently has two members of staff who work in excess of 48 hours though this number was greater during the BSE and Foot and Mouth crises. Managers continually review the position of those staff who regularly work more than 48 hours per week. PSD has no staff who work in excess of 48 hours.
	Responsibility for the Working Time Regulations within the Central Science Laboratory, the Veterinary Laboratories Agency and the Centre for Environmental Fisheries and Aquaculture Agency has been delegated to Agency Chief Executives and I have asked them to reply direct.
	Letter from Victor Bye to Dr. Vincent Cable, dated January 2002
	The Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs has asked Agency Chief Executives to reply to your question concerning the Working Time Directive. I am replying on behalf of Chief Executive for The Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Agency (CEFAS).
	The Working Time Regulations were first introduced in the UK in 1998. As a general rule, members of staff are not asked to work more than 48 hours per week. Any paid hours worked in excess of conditioned hours, have to be approved by line managers. Officers have also been asked to notify their managers if they have a second job or employment outside CEFAS.
	Annual medical assessments have been introduced for Nightpatrol staff as prescribed by the regulations. However, there have been no agreements to disapply the 48-hour weekly limit within CEFAS.
	Letter from Steve Edwards to Dr. Vincent Cable, dated February 2002
	The Secretary of State has asked me to reply to your question on what assessment has been made of the effect of the Working Time Directive on her Department's employees, how many employees are working in excess of 48 hours per week and what steps she is taking to reduce this number.
	The European Working Time Directive was incorporated into UK law by the Working Time Regulations 1998.
	As a general rule staff will not be asked to work more than 48 hours per week. Although there is the opportunity for staff to enter into an agreement to disapply the 48 hour limit there are no such agreements within VLA.
	Letter from Michael Roberts to Dr. Vincent Cable, dated 13 February 2002
	CSL operates a policy of ensuring staff do not work in excess of 48 hours on a regular basis. No member of CSL staff has signed a "waiver" excluding themselves from the provisions of the Working Time Directive.
	During the recent FMD outbreak, a small number of CSL staff, seconded to FMD duties, did work in excess of 48 hours per week. This has now ceased.

British Trust Conservation Volunteers

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will list the grants made to the British Trust Conservation Volunteers for the last five years for which figures are available.

Michael Meacher: DEFRA—and DETR before it—contributes directly to the funding of BTCV's activities with the main grant each year going towards the organisation's core costs. The Countryside Agency, which we fund, also provides some financial support.
	Details of DEFRA/DETR core funding and additional grant funding for the last five years are as follows:
	
		
			  £ 
		
		
			 1997–8 
			 Core grant 398,775 
			 Project grants: Small woods 12,000 
			 Tree wardens 16,767 
			 Trees and Woods 11,516 
			 Local Project fund grants: 
			 Drayton Wood Nature Reserve 3,500 
			 Takely Environment Centre 6,000 
			 Dog Kennel Wood Tree Nursery 4,988 
			 Vicarage Orchard 994 
			 Woodside Community Landscape 600 
			 1998–99 
			 Core grant 386,812 
			 Project grants: Small Woods 12,240 
			 Flying Slug 11,000 
			 1999–2000 
			 Core grant 297,000 
			 Regional grant: Flying Slug 11,350 
			 2000–01 
			 Core grant: 297,000 
			 Regional grant: Local Trees and Healthy Living 13,269 
			 Green Gym Regional Development 21,057 
			 Flying Slug 11,610 
			 2001–02 
			 Core grant: 306,000 
			 Regional: Developing Sustainable Tourism 10,340 
			 Pond Warden Scheme 21,324 
			 Green Gym Regional Development 18,557

Energy Efficiency

Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to her answer of 4 February 2002, Official Report, column 751W, on central heating, if she will make it her policy to include assistance to upgrade inadequate central heating systems in the Home Energy Efficiency Scheme.

Michael Meacher: We have no plans at the present time to replace working or aged central heating systems under HEES. Our priority remains to seek to end fuel poverty in vulnerable households by 2010 through the installation of insulation and heating measures for those over 60 in receipt of an income related benefit where there is currently no working central heating system.

Energy Efficiency

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will make a statement on the use of information technology in energy efficiency; and what good practice exists in the United Kingdom.

Michael Meacher: Information technology is frequently used to control and monitor energy use in buildings, industry and commerce as an integral part of intelligent energy management technologies which can provide potential energy savings of up to around 40 per cent. The Department's Energy Efficiency Best Practice Programme provides information and guidance on the use of information technology to save energy. Under the programme, further investigation is also underway to identify ways of achieving wider market acceptance of such technologies.

Recycling

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the recycling rates are for local authorities in England and Wales.

Michael Meacher: holding answer 26 February 2002
	Household recycling rates for individual local authorities for England are published in the consultation paper on "Distribution of the £140 million Waste Minimisation and Recycling Fund" at Annex B. A copy of the paper is available in the Library of the House and also on the Department's website at: www.defra.gov.uk/environment/consult/wastefund/index.
	Recycling rates for local authorities in Wales are a matter for my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Wales.

Pollution Inspection

Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many inspections per annum per polluting process by local authorities are (a) expected by her Department and (b) covered by existing legislation; and what plans she has to change (i) the expected level of inspections and (ii) legislation covering the requirements placed upon local authorities.

Michael Meacher: Guidance issued by the Department of Environment in 1995 and re-issued by the Department of Environment, Transport and the Regions in 1998 specified a normal inspection rate of twice a year (with certain qualifications) for processes regulated under the Local Air Pollution Control system.
	As regards inspection in future, DETR commissioned consultants in 2000 to investigate the scope for establishing a risk-based regulatory approach, whereby inspections and regulatory effort would be determined according to the potential environmental impacts of a process and operator performance. The consultants reported last year and we consulted on their report. We have since commissioned the consultants to trial the recommended methodology, involving local authorities, process operators, and trade associations. Their report is expected shortly and we again plan to issue it for comment. The introduction of such a system would not require legislation.

Right to Roam

Candy Atherton: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what representations she has received from the freedom to roam to be introduced on a region-by-region basis.

Alun Michael: There have been a number of such representations, mainly in favour of bringing the right of access under Part I of the Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000 into force within each region as soon as the conclusive map of open country and registered common land for that region is issued. I undertook to decide our approach in the light of the experience in the first two areas to be mapped and I hope to make an announcement shortly.

Car Dumping

Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what discussions she has had with local councils on the impact charges for taking cars at scrapyards have had on the numbers of cars being dumped; and if she will make a statement.

Michael Meacher: holding answer 28 February 2002
	We have not had discussions with local councils on this issue. However, it is widely believed that the fall in prices for scrap metal has contributed to the increase in the number of vehicles abandoned.

Fair trade

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether fair trade products are sold in her Department.

Elliot Morley: Support for Fair Trade initiatives both in developing countries and the UK has been given by the Department for International Development. This support forms part of a wider dialogue with the private sector to encourage them to adopt more socially responsible and ethical business practises.
	Products are not generally sold within DEFRA other than food through catering contracts. We have no central information on the extent to which such food is fair trade.

Flooding

Jacqui Lait: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if the issue of responsibility for ground water flooding where there is no owner or recent records of a water source will be included in the review of flooding.

Elliot Morley: The Steering Group Report and associated consultation document recently issued by this Department relate specifically to a review of the future arrangements for funding flood and coastal defence work and related institutional and administrative arrangements. The review did not cover ground water flooding matters.

Sustainable Development

Debra Shipley: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what proposals she has to promote sustainable development.

Michael Meacher: The Department has lead responsibility for the Government's Sustainable Development Strategy. We will shortly be publishing the second annual report on progress towards sustainable development by the country as a whole. In DEFRA itself, we intend to put in place a Departmental sustainable development strategy—by Spring 2002; the new Department's aim and objectives have sustainable development at their heart.
	Later this year Johannesburg will host the World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD), marking the tenth anniversary of the Rio Earth Summit. My right hon. Friend the Prime Minister was the first head of government to confirm that he would attend. DEFRA has a central role to play in the UK preparations for the Summit, both as the champion of sustainable development policy in the UK Government, and as the lead Department on relevant negotiations in environmental fora, including policy lead for WSSD. We hope the publicity it generates will stimulate further interest not just in the international aspects of sustainable development, but the action we need to take at home.
	We are committed to taking forward sustainable development—as we have already demonstrated, for instance, at the climate change talks in Marrakech and the WTO talks in Doha; and by calling a Waste Summit, publishing a Fuel Poverty Strategy and setting up the Policy Commission on Food and Farming. We shall continue to work actively with other countries, business, local authorities and NGO's to promote sustainable development.

Combined heat and power

Phyllis Starkey: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what action she plans to take to double UK use of combined heat and power following the PIU review of energy policy.

Michael Meacher: Government will consider the Review's recommendations and will hold a public consultation leading to a White Paper in the Autumn. My Department is developing a CHP Strategy in close collaboration with other Government Departments and this will set out the measures needed to achieve the target to double Good Quality CHP capacity to at least 10,000 megawatts by 2010. We will issue the Strategy as a draft document for consultation shortly.

Refrigerators

Charles Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on what basis the money allocated to local authorities to assist in meeting the costs involved in storing (a) refrigerators and (b) freezers, will be divided between different local authorities; and how much she expects each local authority to receive.

Michael Meacher: holding answer 4 March 2002
	In early December 2001, I announced a payment of £6 million to cover local authority costs from January to March 2002. This payment will be made through the Revenue Support Grant for 2002–03 and will be distributed to waste disposal authorities according to the Standard Spending Assessment Formula. We are monitoring the impact of the Regulation to assess what further action is required.

Refrigerators

Michael Jack: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will make a statement indicating what her understanding is of whether sections in Article 5, Paragraph (d) of EC Regulation 2037/2000 (29 June 2000) apply to insulating materials used in refrigerators and freezers.

Michael Meacher: holding answer 4 March 2002
	The UK Government's interpretation of Article 5(1)(d)(iv) of EC Regulation 2037/2000 is that it prohibits the use of hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs) for the production of polyurethane foams for appliances, including refrigerators and freezers, from 1 January 2003.

Refrigerators

Michael Jack: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will make a statement indicating her understanding of the way in which Article 16 of EU Regulation 2037/2000, paragraph 3 affects the implementation of paragraph 2.

Michael Meacher: holding answer 4 March 2002
	In June 2001, the European Commission gave EU Member States a definitive clarification of Article 16(2) of EC Regulation 2037/2000. It required ozone-depleting substances (ODS) in domestic fridges and freezers, either used as the refrigerant or to blow the insulating foam, to be recovered and dealt with as provided for in Article 16(1) after 31 December 2001. Article 16(3) of EC Regulation 2037/2000 applies to the recovery, if practicable, and recycling, reclamation or destruction of any ODS contained in equipment, systems and appliances not specified in either Article 16(1) or 16(2). Therefore Article 16(3) does not affect the implementation of Article 16(2).

Livestock Movements

Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what information she collects on the (a) duration and (b) distance of farm livestock's journeys to slaughter.

Elliot Morley: This information is not collected. Farmers and transporters are not required to provide information about journeys within Great Britain. All export consignments of farm livestock are accompanied by a Route Plan showing the intended route and duration of the journey.

Livestock Movements

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent representations she has received on the 21-day standstill rule.

Elliot Morley: I have received a number of representations from organisations representing farmers and auctioneers on the 20-day movement standstill, which forms a key part of the Interim Animal Movement Regime which was introduced on 11 February. The 20 day standstill rule has been waived for some types of movement, subject to conditions and we will continue to keep these arrangements under review.

TREASURY

Temporary Employees

John Bercow: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what guidance has been issued in respect of the recruitment and appointment of non-permanent employees in (a) his Department and (b) all executive agencies supervised by his Department; and if he will publish the full terms of employment as specified to employees in his Department and the executive agencies for which he is responsible who are employed on a temporary contract of (i) 51 weeks' and (ii) less than 51 weeks' duration.

Ruth Kelly: The information has been placed in the Library.

Money Laundering (General Abacha)

Harry Cohen: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what reports he has received indicating the involvement of UK banks in the money laundering activities of the late General Abacha; whether he is (a) budgeting for the return of such money to Nigeria and (b) arranging for its repayment; and if he will make a statement.

Ruth Kelly: The Financial Services Authority published a report in March 2001 following a three month investigation into the handling by banks in the UK of accounts linked to the late General Abacha. The investigation established that 23 banks had accounts linked either to General Abacha, family members or close associates and that in 15 of the banks significant control weaknesses were identified. Eight of the banks had corrected these weaknesses after the accounts were opened but seven banks were ordered to take action to rectify control weaknesses.
	The return to Nigeria of any money held in accounts owned by the Abacha family or close associates is dependent on the Nigerian authorities prosecuting individuals for their offences and subsequently, if these individuals are found to be guilty, obtaining a confiscation order against them. If in its assessment of the benefits obtained by these individuals from the crimes they are convicted of, it is considered that assets are held in the UK, an application for enforcement of that order in the UK courts would then be required. I understand that no such confiscation orders have, as yet, been made in Nigeria. Although the proceeds of overseas confiscation orders revert to the Exchequer the government has powers to return such proceeds to overseas jurisdictions. The UK government would consider returning any money confiscated form the Abacha accounts to the Nigerian authorities.

Euro

Iris Robinson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much money has been spent by the Treasury on the promotion of the euro in the past year.

Ruth Kelly: holding answer 7 March 2002
	Details of the expenditure on business euro preparations were set out in the Treasury's Fifth Report on Euro Preparations, published on 4 November 2001, copies of which were deposited in the Library of the House.

Smaller Quoted Companies

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what initiatives there are to give smaller quoted companies more flexibility to seek approval from shareholders for non pre-emptive issues.

Melanie Johnson: I have been asked to reply.
	Smaller quoted companies already have flexibility to allot shares on a non-pre-emptive basis where this is approved by a special resolution of their members. The Company Law Review recommended no change in this arrangement. I am considering this along with the Review's other recommendations.

INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Child Exploitation

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what action her Department is taking to stop child trafficking.

Clare Short: Our response focuses on eliminating the poverty that causes child trafficking, and supporting and encouraging the work of governments, business, voluntary agencies and international organisations, such as the International Labour Organisation and UNICEF, which addresses this issue. It includes £3 million of support for specific ILO operations in Thailand, Laos, Vietnam, Cambodia and China.

Child Exploitation

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment her Department has made of the levels of exploitation of children by aid workers in Africa.

Clare Short: My Department has not undertaken any direct assessment of the level of exploitation of children by aid workers. No level of exploitation is acceptable in any circumstance. We welcome the attention the recent report of UNHCR and SCF-UK on exploitation amongst refugee children in West Africa has brought to this issue.

Child Exploitation

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what action her Department is taking to educate people living in Africa about the dangers of child trafficking.

Clare Short: DFID is supporting the work of agencies such as Anti-Slavery International and Save the Children that collaborate with local civil society organisations to raise awareness of the issues of child labour and trafficking.

Child Exploitation

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what action she is taking to help developing countries implement the International Labour Organisation conventions on child trafficking.

Clare Short: DFID is supporting the work of the International Labour Organisation to help developing countries implement Convention 182, on the elimination of the worst forms of child labour, which includes trafficking, both through our four year Partnership agreement, and through support to specific ILO operations such as the regional programme in Thailand, Laos, Vietnam, Cambodia and China.

Child Exploitation

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what conclusions she has drawn form the UNHCR report into the sexual exploitation of children by aid workers in Africa.

Clare Short: The initial findings of the UNHCR and Save the Children-UK Assessment Mission are very disturbing. We welcome their openness in bringing this issue to public attention and strongly endorse the Framework for Action adopted. The agencies implicated by the allegations in the report must take urgent action to stamp out any exploitation uncovered of the people that they are there to protect.

Child Exploitation

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment she has made of the levels of child trafficking in each of the last five years.

Clare Short: The covert and illicit nature of child trafficking makes it very difficult to establish accurate statistics, but there is wide agreement and growing concern that evidence of the practice is growing in all regions of the world.

Child Exploitation

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assistance her Department is providing to UK charities working in Africa to prevent the sexual exploitation of children by their overseas staff.

Clare Short: UK charities and other aid agencies clearly have to take responsibility for the conduct of their staff, both those from the UK and those who are recruited locally. They need to ensure that they have policies and procedures in place to prevent the recruitment of unsuitable individuals, to monitor their programme operations, and to take action against staff who abuse children or misuse their authority in any other way.

HIV/AIDS

Gavin Strang: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development 
	(1)  how much money to address HIV/AIDS was given by her Department to each international agency in each year since 1995–96 in (a) cash terms and (b) constant prices;
	(2)  how much money to address HIV/AIDS was given by her Department to (a) state agencies, (b) NGOs and (c) other bodies in each recipient country in each year since 1995–96 in (i) cash terms and (ii) constant prices.

Clare Short: My Department has made the following contributions to UNAIDS:
	1995–96—£1 million.
	1996–97—£3.5 million
	1997–98—£2.3 million.
	1998–99—£2.75 million.
	1999–2000—£3 million.
	2000–01—£3 million.
	We have also in this period provided funding to other international agencies with significant HIV/AIDS programmes, including the United Nations Population Fund, the United Nations Development Programme, UNICEF, the EC, and the World Bank. However, it is not possible to determine the portion of our contributions used for HIV/AIDS work as opposed to other work of these agencies.
	The details requested about aid given to state agencies, NGOs and other bodies is not held centrally and to provide it in the form requested would be at disproportionate cost to my Department.

Sri Lanka

Tom Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what requests for financial assistance, and for what projects, have been made by the Sri Lanken Government to her Department in the last two years.

Clare Short: We have agreed with the Government of Sri Lanka that DFID's programme will focus on inter-communal reconciliation, livelihood security for the poor in conflict areas and basic education. Details of our work in Sri Lanka are outlined in our Country Strategy Paper, a copy of which is in the Library of the House.
	Full details of DFID's programme in Sri Lanka were also provided in my answer to a previous question from my hon. Friend on 18 December 2001, Official Report, 18 December 2001, column 190W.
	My officials have also been approached by the Government of Sri Lanka for new programmes to support social harmony through basic education and for confidence building measures in support of the peace process. Design of these programmes is underway.
	In 2001 DFID declined a proposal for support to the textile industry because it fell outside the agreed focal areas.

Tanzania

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development when she was informed of the application for an export licence for the sale of an air defence system to Tanzania.

Clare Short: The applications were first drawn to my attention in October 2001.

Afghanistan

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if she will make a statement on the level of funding for the Ministry of Women in Afghanistan.

Clare Short: I discussed the funding of the Afghan Ministry of Women's Affairs when I met Jim Wolfensohn, in Tokyo in January 2002. Since then, the US government has agreed to provide support to the Ministry of Women's Affairs in partnership with the International Organisation for Migration (IOM).
	My Department are also in the process of finalising support to help establish the office of the Afghan Ministry for Women's Affairs in partnership with IOM.